


Alchemy of love

by science_is_magic



Category: Strange the Dreamer Series - Laini Taylor
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Childhood Trauma, Drinking Games, Eventual Smut, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Gay Sex, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Kinky sex, M/M, Post-Canon, Ruza is bi, Sex Dreams, Slow Burn, Thyon is gay for Ruza, Thyon opens up about his past to Ruza, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:46:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 88,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26524690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/science_is_magic/pseuds/science_is_magic
Summary: Thyon has only just begun to figure out how to have friendships; he’s absolutely clueless about relationships. This is Thyon and Ruza’s love story after the Astral leaves Zeru in Muse of Nightmares.Please note that not all chapters are explicit or NSFW but the ones that are are clearly marked with notes.
Relationships: Thyon Nero/Ruza
Comments: 62
Kudos: 41





	1. Lucky for you

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically the follow-up story that I want after Muse full of my headcannons. This is my first fic and I'm nowhere near as good a writer as Laini Taylor, but I hope y'all like it anyway. 
> 
> PS Speculaas is a kind of cinnamon cookie in Belgium/Netherlands, but I spelt it phonetically since Thyon only hears the word spoken.

The _Astral_ had arrived at a new world and her crew were eager to go exploring. According to the notes in Skathis’s book it was called De Aarde, and was hospitable so they should be able to land and find inhabitants without too much trouble. It took hours of heated debate however, before they could decide who was to go down to the planet and where they should start. In the end it was decided that Lazlo, Kiska, Werran, Rook, and Tzara would form the delegation to meet with the people. Thyon and Feral would join but their mission would be to take notes, make observations for their journey logs and collect specimens of potential food. Ruza would pilot their small airship _The Dragon_ to what looked like the nearest city and stay with the ship to guard it.

Hours later, Lazlo introduced everyone to the local diplomats who invited them to stay for a meal as they exchanged stories. Most of the conversation happened through Kiska since they did not speak the same language.

Thyon grew bored and he had had a long day so he looked through his phrasebook for the words that would convey to Feral that he would be returning to the ship shortly. He had lessons on the language of Amezrou everyday with Suheyla and Lazlo, but he still found it exhausting to try speaking it all day with Feral. Calixte and Lazlo had helped Thyon put together the phrasebook of common sayings that he could refer to if his memory failed him; Ruza was banned from contributing after The Incident. Thyon had thought that he was telling Sparrow that her newest orchid creation reminded him of a starry night, but instead he had said it reminds him of dead insects. Sparrow had looked both horrified and confused, and Thyon realized his mistake in asking his prankster friend for translation services. Thankfully Lazlo had arrived in the garden at the right time to clear everything up.

Feral was more than happy to stay and make any necessary documentation of that evenings events; Thyon suspected that he was excited to be put in charge of something for once. Thyon went to inspect the food tables as he thought he might bring something sweet for Ruza who had been very vocal in his annoyance at being stuck guarding the ship. He was about to put some of the delicious crunchy, spiced cakes that the locals called spekulas into a napkin when Kiska appeared at his side wanting to know what he was doing. After he explained, she spoke with the local woman nearest to them through her mind and the woman brought out a floral patterned tin and filled it to the brim with spekulas, pressing the tin into his hands with a smile. He thanked her and Kiska and left quickly, not wanting to get pulled into any conversations. He told himself that it was because he was tired, and not because he wanted to spend time with Ruza.

Heading down the wooded path towards where the ship was parked, glave lantern and floral tin in hand, Thyon grew nervous and fought with his anxious feelings. He and Ruza had grown close these past weeks and Thyon cherished his friendship; he kept trying to convince himself that friendship was enough but his heart and his body craved more. He had only just discovered that bodies could make demands – it certainly hadn’t been something that was covered in his anatomy & physiology classes. As soon as he entered the clearing, and saw Ruza sprawled out on top of a wing, his gut started churning and his hearts were beating loud enough that he thought the whole world might actually hear it. 

“Hey Ruza” Thyon squeaked, trying, and failing, to sound casual.

“Nero! Thank Gods you’re here! I’m so bored. Did anything interesting happen? What’s in the flowery box?”

Thyon climbed onto the wing of the airship to join Ruza while explaining, “Oh, these are some kind of local sweet. They’re like spice cake but they’re crunchy instead of soft. I’m told they are called spekulas”

Ruza grabbed the tin with delight and began making exaggerated moaning noises almost immediately.

“These are amazing! You really are learning how to be a good friend. I think I should get an award for teaching you to abandon all your bad manners.” He winked and nudged his elbow into Thyon’s rib which caused a blush to creep up Thyons cheeks – Ruza seemed to try and find any excuse to touch Thyon lately and he couldn’t decide if it meant something or not.

“I’m glad you like them. Its been a long day” Thyon said as he sat down on the wing of the ship with his legs spread out in front of him, and covered the glave lantern.

“Did Feral talk your ears off again with his non-stop questions?” Ruza sat down next to him and offered the tin of spekulas.

“Was it the look on my face? Was I that obvious? Yes, he did. I’m sure its just curiosity, but I sometimes wish he’d find someone else to badger all day. I’ve got my own things to do.”

“Hmmmm. Maybe I could try and get him back together with Ruby. Then Feral would have someone else to occupy his time and leave you alone, and Ruby would have someone else to occupy her time and stop hitting on me.”

“Good luck with that” Thyon sighed and looked up at the dazzling night sky. This new world had many moons, at least four that Thyon could see. Ruza seemed to sense that Thyon wanted to enjoy a quiet moment so they sat eating the sweet treats and looking at the night sky in companionable silence long enough for Thyon to remember his anxiety. Why was he suddenly so nervous to be sitting here alone with his friend, in the dark, watching the stars? He tried to tell himself he was being silly. It didn’t work. His hearts were pounding like a wild, out of sync drum-band when Ruza started complaining about the warm weather.

“How can you wear long sleeves in this weather? It’s not just hot, but sticky too! Who knew it could be so sticky, it’s like living inside soup.”

“It’s not so bad. Besides, not all of us desire to dress like savage warriors in leather vests.”

“But I am a savage warrior – and besides, I look good in this vest, it shows off my muscles” Ruza replied while flexing his arms for Thyon. This inexplicably caused Thyon’s hearts to pound harder and he tried to scoff but from the glint in Ruza’s eyes, he guessed that his friend had caught the look of desire that he was trying to cover. Thyon desperately wished that it wasn’t so bright out tonight from four full moons.

“You know no one cares what you wear anyway, right?”Ruza continued.

“I’m just more comfortable in long sleeves” he looked back up to the stars, hoping that Ruza would drop it.

“Is it because of the scars on your arms?” Ruza asked quietly. 

Through the drumbeat of his hearts, Thyon detected care and concern in his friend’s voice. He sensed this was a turning point in their friendship. Suheyla had told him that it was important to trust and confide in friends, but he’d never done this before and it was terrifying. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around, rallied his courage, and breathed “Yes. I… I don’t like people to see them.”

Ruza’s voice was still soft and quiet when he replied “I’m too young to remember the rule of the Mesarthim gods, but my mother used to tell me stories of what it was like when I was older. She knew a lot of people who cut themselves. Some people wanted to make angry scars, in the hope that they would look ugly enough for the gods to ignore. They were the ones who wore their scars with pride. Others cut themselves because they struggled to feel any emotions at all, and the cutting was a way force themselves to feel something she said. Others cut because they had no control over their lives or their bodies, and this was one thing that they could do. Lots of people have messy, shitty pasts and scars. I’ve seen your scars, Thyon, and they don’t bother me. I just hope that there aren’t any fresh ones.”

“I haven’t… There’s not been any fresh scars in some time. Since before Drave’s explosion. I know Lazlo must have told you they called me the golden godson, but I didn’t feel golden. My family was not loving or affectionate, and I didn’t even know to miss it until I lived aboard the _Astral_ and met Suheyla. There was a lot of pressure on me to do the impossible and create gold for the empty treasury of Zosma. My back is full of scars from the lashings I would get from my father whenever I failed. Everything I did was under scrutiny. Every detail of my life was public knowledge. I just wanted to be left alone to study the natural world and unlock its great mysteries. I don’t even know why I started cutting myself, but it was something just for me. Something secret that no one knew about. I’m not sure I’m ready to answer the prying questions that will come with short sleeves.”

Ruza shifted his weight and looked as though he was about to say something, but then didn’t. Thyon felt embarrassed, which wasn’t a feeling he was accustomed with, but there it was just the same. “You probably didn’t care to hear all of that. I’ve made things awkward…” Thyon trailed off because Ruza started rubbing his back in soothing circles. And it felt so comforting, like a balm to his frayed nerves. No one had ever tried to comfort him before. He made the startling realization that soothing touches from the person he was attracted to could also awaken feelings of desire. He would have to process this later. He didn’t want Ruza to stop, so although he could feel his shoulders relaxing, and his sudden panic easing, he didn’t move.

“Nonsense! I like getting to know you. I just didn’t think your childhood had been so shitty. No wonder you were such a prim and proper prick.” Ruza flashed a smile, hoping to lighten the mood. His hand had stopped moving, but he didn’t remove it – he kept it resting on the small of Thyon’s back as if he didn’t want to break the contact between them either.

Thyon started to chuckle as he unwound his body from the tight ball he had pulled it into. Ruza was teasing him so he knew that things were good between them. “Lucky for you I don’t want to be that asshole anymore.”

Ruza moved his arm to Thyon’s shoulders pulling them close together and declared “Lucky for you that you have so many fantastic friends to call you out on your shit.”

They heard noises in the distance and what sounded like a lively debate among their friends. The warrior and the alchemist exchanged a glance and both sighed as they brought out their glave lanterns.

“Come on, we better get down.” The look of annoyance and disdain on Ruza’s face as he jumped off the wing of the ship flashed only for a few seconds, but it did not escape Thyon’s notice. “I don’t really feel like listening to Rook lecture me about how to treat the ships or how to pay better attention when I’m on guard duty.” The last part he said with a tinge of nastiness to his voice.

Thyon joined him on the ground, feeling like he was missing out on some crucial bit of information. Rook had seemed like a decent guy. “Has something happened between you two? You seem grumpy around him lately.”

“Its nothing. Look they’re almost here, I’ll prep _The Dragon_ for take off.” Ruza was _not_ about to tell Thyon the reason he suddenly dislikes Rook. It would complicate everything. A week ago Rook had come to Ruza asking for “insider information” about Thyon and expressed an interest in him. As if Ruza would just spill all his friends’ secrets like that. Rook could do the hard work of getting to know someone himself. Ruza was pretty sure that the feelings he had for Thyon were mutual, and that must mean that Rook was either oblivious, or purposely ignoring the clear signals Ruza was sending. He knew it would likely take some time for the alchemist to admit his own feelings, coming from such a rigid society. But he was still more than a little worried that Rook would make a move first. Frustrated that his alone time with Thyon was at an end, but unwilling to make it obvious, Ruza pushed his thoughts aside and plastered a fake smile on his face.


	2. Do something ill advised every day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruza and Thyon play Ruza's fishing-for-secrets-drinking game

Thyon was the last person to arrive at breakfast the next morning, having changed his shirt five times and combed his hair three different ways before giving up and settling on his usual look. As soon as he arrived his eyes were drawn to Ruza like magnets because the warrior was wearing a leather vest again. His ridiculously toned arms were on full display, and Thyon didn’t fail to notice the way they moved and flexed like fluid sculptures every time Ruza reached for something on the table. Thyon quickly averted his gaze back to his own breakfast; he had spent half the night thinking about Ruza and his gorgeous arms, surely that was long enough. Before Thyon’s thoughts had the chance to run wild, the discussions began about who would be in the party returning to the surface of De Aarde. The debate was pretty much the same as the day before, everyone except Suheyla wanted to go to the surface, but Lazlo, the Tizerkane, and the three oldest godspawn were against it on the basis that the younger ones had no defensive or combat training.

“I don’t need to be a warrior when I can lob fireballs at anyone who dares attack us” Ruby argued.

Werran shook his head and sighed. “Ruby the last thing we need is for you to set a city on fire because you get scared or angry. _We’re emissaries_. Not warlords, conquerors, or slavers. The Tizerkane warriors or the Mesarthim gifts should be used as a last resort, or for defense.”

Ruby gave Werran a look of disgust but didn’t seem inclined to set anything on fire, yet.

“Maybe we should all be trained in self-defense. Irrespective of gifts” Thyon interjected. He made the suggestion for purely selfish reasons, thinking about a certain warrior’s muscled arms glistening with the sweat of exertion while engaged in a sword fight.

In response, Ruby stuck her tongue out and Minya muttered under her breath “No thanks” just loud enough to be heard by everyone.

“Thyon’s right. We should be thinking about training everyone in self-defense. Ruza and I will talk to Kiska, Rook and Werran and we’ll come up with a training schedule for everyone else. In the meantime, I think we should keep the same plan as yesterday. It worked well.” Tzara turned to Ruza, “Is that ok with you, or are we going to have to listen to hours of your moaning about being bored?”

“As long as I get rewarded for my efforts with a tin of dessert again, you shall hear not a peep from me.” Ruza flashed a mischievous grin at Thyon; the way his eyes sparkled and the duration that he held Thyon’s gaze suggested that there was more involved in his reward than just dessert.

Thyon smiled back at his friend, hoping that no one noticed the blush creeping up his cheeks. He barely heard Lazlo telling everyone who was going down to De Aarde to meet at _The Dragon_ in one hour, he was too busy remembering the feeling of Ruza’s hand rubbing comforting circles on his back.

_______________________________

The day went by rather quickly for Thyon. There was much work to be done and his full attention was required. There was no spare time for daydreaming.

_______________________________

When the sun began to set Kiska reached into their minds and asked everyone to come back to the building where they had dinner last night.

The building was a large opulent hall, much like the Amezrou Guildhall. The largest room was full of circular tables and chairs. A stage that was closed off by a massive red velvet curtain was at one end, and at the other was a window in the wall where beverages of all kinds could be obtained. Thyon found it curious that wine seemed to be the universal dinner drink. How many other similarities would they find between Zeru and De Aarde? He exchanged pleasantries with the hosts and made his way to a table near the drinks window to record his observations.

More and more people filled the room until it was almost at capacity, it seemed a bit excessive to Thyon considering they could only barely communicate with the locals and Kiska’s telepathy was required. Feral took a seat at the same table as Thyon, commenting on how lucky it was that they didn’t have to sit at the front of the room with the rest of their delegation, due to their roles as observers.

Time seemed to move as slow as set honey. Thyon caught bits and pieces of conversation, he even seemed to be making passable comments himself, but he barely noticed. He was so deep in his own thoughts that it felt like there were two of him: the banquet was happening to one of him, and the actions and conversations were separate from this other Thyon, the one in his head who was assessing all of his interactions with Ruza in the previous couple of days. At the end of the meal, Thyon’s thoughts and his body crashed back together when he realized that Feral had asked him a question several times and he had failed to answer.

“Sorry, Feral, I realize I’m being rude. I’ve uhh, had a lot on my mind lately. What were you saying?”

Plates clattered and cutlery clinked as it was cleared away. All around him seats began to empty as people were heading to the drinks window or the toilets before the entertainment started. Feral shot Thyon a conspiratorial look and said “Oh no worries, I was saying no one will notice if you slip out and bring some food to Ruza. I’m ok to take notes by myself.”

“Oh, yeah good idea. I’m sure none of us wants to listen to Ruza complain that he didn’t get to sample the food.” Thyon collected his notebook and satchel and scanned the room for Kiska. He weaved his way among the crowd, once nearly tripping in his haste. Kiska was no longer at the head table, and Thyon stood on the tips of his toes trying to spot her. Luckily, the server women from last night approached and when Thyon removed the floral tin from his satchel she seemed to know exactly what he wanted. She took the tin and made some hand gestures to convey that she would be right back. She returned with a paper bag that contained the tin of spekulas, another container with a take-away version of the meal and a bottle of wine. Thyon thanked her and slipped out of the party into the warm night.

In the light of four nearly full moons it was bright enough to see around the banquet hall, but the ship was parked in an open field a short walk away with a wooded area in between so Thyon removed his glave lantern from his satchel. Massive tree ferns lined the path from the hall to the ship, their fronds rustled gently in the wind as Thyon walked beneath them. Creatures chirruped and ticked and rattled and croaked creating a chorus unlike anything heard on Zeru. Had Thyon not been so absorbed in his own thoughts, he might have attempted to investigate the origins of these nighttime symphonies.

Instead, he worried himself with endless possibilities and questions. He was pretty sure the attraction was mutual, although since he had never seen Ruza express an interest in anyone else, woman or man, he still had doubts. What if Ruza isn’t attracted to me? What if I’m a fool? What if he is attracted to me? Should I say something? Is that how these things work? Do people actually _tell_ other people that they like them? Thyon resolved to not say anything just yet, considering that he had no experience and didn’t want to mess it up somehow. He had been asking himself the same questions for days. Thyon’s preferences for logical thought, precise actions and perfection were at complete odds with his feelings for Ruza. It was exhilarating and terrifying in equal measure.

Suddenly the path ended and Thyon entered the clearing. He couldnt see Ruza so he headed towards two glave lanterns that had been set up on the other side of the ship. A couple steps later he could just make out the shape of Ruza lying on his back on a blanket. “Sleeping on the job?” Thyon teased.

“I’m doing no such thing. I could tell it was you from a mile away.” Ruza waited for Thyon to join him on the blanket before continuing, “How was it tonight?”

“Still not fun. Brought you a whole dinner and dessert though, so I hope you’re hungry. Oh and wine.” Thyon lifted the bottle out of the bag to show Ruza, raised it as if to toast, removed the cork and took a sip.

Ruza’s face lit up. “Food, wine, and desert? I feel like I’m being wooed. Did I ever tell you that you’re the best faranji?”

“We’re both faranji now, friend.” Thyon watched the stars while Ruza ate. Or at least he tried to focus his attention on the whorls of deep purple, blue, black and silver of the galaxies of stars above them, and not where to put his hands or why it felt like his insides were churning or why he felt light headed.

“That was actually pretty good,” Ruza said as he finished the last of it.

“I don’t even want to know how you managed to finish your food that quickly.”

“It’s one of my many talents. Considering that we have quite a bit of wine and not a lot to do, I think we should play a game.”

“What kind of game?” Thyon asked as he crumpled his face into a semi-frown, Ruza was notorious for inventing games that only he could win.

“The kind where we ask each other questions, and we have to answer truthfully, or take a sip of wine.”

“That’s not a game, there’s no strategy or points involved.”

“You have a very narrow definition of game, Nero” Ruza shot back. “Ok, so its usually played with more people, and strong liquor but you’ll have to make up for it by telling me all your secrets.”

“Alright, I’ll play. But only if you tell me all _your_ secrets.” Thyon smiled as Ruza turned so they were facing each other. Ruza had a wicked grin on his face and his eyes twinkled which caused Thyon to wonder what sort of secrets he was interested in knowing.

“We’ll see.” Ruza shifted closer to Thyon and grabbed the floral tin but once he had it he stayed where he was, legs flush against Thyon’s legs. “Ok I’ll start. What’s your favorite world so far?”

“Easy, this one. What’s your favorite city on Zeru?”

Ruza drank a sip of wine, mostly because he wasn’t sure he even knew the answer. “What city has better food, Zosma or Amezrou?”

Thyon considered his answer while eating spekulas. “Amezrou. What’s your favorite food?”

“Breakfast. Did you actually enjoy spending time with Drave?”

“No. Wait hold on, breakfast doesn’t answer the question! Give a proper answer.”

“You wasted your turn, drink. Breakfast is a proper answer - I love all breakfast food. Why didn’t you bother learning my language until you decided to join the _Astral_?”

Thyon drank twice, not wanting to admit he had started trying to learn it sooner but had failed miserably without the help of other people. “Would you want to have powers like the Mesarthim or the godspawn?”

“Of course. Don’t you?”

“Yes. Ok, what power would you want?”

“Hmmmm. I’d like to turn into a dragon whenever I wanted, and turn back to myself whenever I needed. A dragon with dark red almost black scales, like the colour of cherries and great big wings for flying and breathes fire. What about you?”

Thyon chuckled. “Of course, it’s always dragons with you isn’t it? I think I would like the ability to fly, but without wings. Why are you frowning? Wings aren’t practical for everyday life.”

Ruza drank. “You’re far too practical, alchemist. What about the blue skin? You have such a carefully crafted _look_ that I didn’t think you’d want to be blue.”

“Are you implying that I’m vain? Or that I wouldn’t look good with blue skin?” Thyon asked in the haughtiest voice he could muster.

“I’m sure that you would look absolutely fabulous with blue skin.”

“I’d still take the power to fly even if it came with blue skin. What about you? Would you care that when you weren’t a dragon, you’d be blue?”

“What kind of question is that? Obviously being a dragon is the most important thing. Ok. Who would win in a hand-to-hand combat fight, Rook or Werran?”

“Werran probably; I’ve seen them training together and Rook flinches when Werran lands a punch so he must be stronger.” Thyon reached for another spekulas and noticed that Ruza looked pleased. He filed that information away for contemplation later. “Do you think that Kiska fancies Rook or Werran?”

“Neither. I’ve seen her wistfully staring at Feral. I hope for all our sakes that Ruby is totally over him or is with someone else when she finds out. Who is your favorite person on the Astral?”

Thyon took a long gulp of wine. “Who is _your_ favorite person on the Astral?”

Ruza snatched the bottle from Thyon and also took a long drink. “Have you ever been drunk? I don’t mean like a little tipsy, I mean balls to the wall drunk.”

“Uh I don’t believe I have ever been ‘balls to the wall,’ no. Why, have you?”

“Of course!” Ruza scoffed. “I’m Tizerkane, it practically goes with the territory that we drink and play stupid games at the end of the day. How else did you think I knew this game?”

“You make up games all the time that only you can win.” Thyon laughed because Ruza was giving him a look that was supposed to convey innocence but it was so theatrical that it was obvious he knew he was guilty. “Have you ever done something foolish when you were drunk?”

It was Ruza’s turn to laugh. “I’m sure I do something ill-advised every day. But probably the most foolish thing I have done while drunk was once I jumped in a river in the middle of the night because Tzara didn’t believe I knew how to swim. It was a much faster moving river than I thought and it dumped me over a waterfall. I almost drowned. Luckily there was a dock on that side of the river and I could haul myself out of the water. I was exhausted so I waited for Tzara and the others to find me; by the time that they did, I was asleep.”

Thyon looked at his friend incredulously, “How are you even still alive and walking to this day?”

“It wasn’t your turn, so drink.” Ruza waited until Thyon finished before asking, “Are you attracted to men or women or both or neither?”

“Ummm, I’m not really sure to be honest. I was expected to return to Zosma and marry whichever girl my parents or the queen chose for me, but I never wanted that life. I didn’t spend much time thinking about who I might choose since there was no way I’d ever get a choice. And until recently, I hadn’t considered that men might be an option since same-gender relationships were forbidden.”

“Yikes, good thing you don’t have to go back to Zosma ever again. But were you never attracted to any of those women you might have to marry? Were you not looking forward to romance or sex?”

“Umm, well, I haven’t yet met a women I’m attracted to if I’m being honest.”

“Ok, maybe we can say that you probably aren’t into women. Have you ever looked at someone – anyone – and wanted to kiss them, or take their clothes off?”

A distinct blush appeared on Thyon’s cheeks. He considered taking a sip of wine, but Ruza seemed genuinely interested in helping him figure his messy self out so he answered. “Yes. I have felt that way about one person. A guy.”

“Well, then we can say that you are attracted to men, but maybe not all men. That’s fine.” Ruza leaned in even closer to Thyon. “Soooo, is this guy aboard the _Astral_?”

“Yes, and since it was my turn, I get to ask two questions in a row and you have to drink. Are _you_ attracted to men or women or both or neither?”

Ruza drank and then replied, “Both.”

“How do you know its both?”

“Well I’ve slept with both and enjoyed it. But even before that I was pretty sure it was both. I’ve been attracted to both men and women since I was quite young.”

Thyon’s hearts sank. How silly of him to think that Ruza was pining away for him. He quickly decided he’d rather know now if Ruza was seeing someone than let himself fall completely. “Have you recently slept with anyone?”

Ruza looked at his friend and noticed the sadness that flashed across his face before his features became a hardened mask. Much like the mask he wore before their lives had so completely changed. He decided to not point out it wasn’t Thyon’s turn. “No that was ages ago. One was my classmate when I was in school, about three years ago. She wanted to know what it was like, so did I, we were attracted to each other so we slept together a couple times before I had to start training full time. The other was a guy I met in a tavern in the town we visited before Zosma. He was older, very handsome, and had been staring at me all night. We made excuses to leave; I think it was more for his benefit than for mine, the Tizerkane couldn’t care less who people take to bed. We went back to his place and didn’t sleep at all. It was incredible. I had no idea that being with a man could be so pleasurable. He taught me a lot about being a good lover in the 5-day fling we had.”

Ruza’s honesty was shocking to Thyon. He never expected so much detail. “Do you miss him? Do you wish you could still be together?” he asked tentatively.

“Nope. I think it was better that it was just a fling. I don’t think it would have lasted. Besides, there’s someone else I like now.” Ruza’s cheeks flamed and it was clearly visible in the glavelight when he smiled at Thyon, but then he quickly looked away and busied himself with another spekulas.

Thyon’s hearts ramped up from a steady flutter to a crescendo of drums. He could feel beads of sweat form on his brow and trickle down his back. This was his chance. “Oh really. And is this person on the _Astral_?”

“Yes, he is.” Ruza answered, his expression giving nothing away but his voice was rough and the response was nearly whispered. “So do you plan to tell your crush that you like him?”

“Crush? Is that what you call it?” Ruza nodded so Thyon continued, “Oh I don’t know. We’re friends and I’m not really sure what the protocol is.”

Ruza barked out a laugh and Thyon jumped from the sound – he nearly tipped the wine bottle over but grabbed it just in time. “Only you would worry about protocol.”

“Well are you going to tell _your_ crush that you like him?” Thyon asked a bit defensively.

“Well my crush is also a friend and I’m more worried about losing him as a friend if he doesn’t like me back. I’ll probably wait until there’s an opportunity to get a bit drunk and then if it goes poorly I can blame the alcohol.” Ruza grabbed the bottle of wine and Thyon couldn’t help but wonder if that was precisely what was happening now.

“I’m sure he’ll like you back, whoever he is. There’d have to be something wrong with him to not like you.” Thyon belatedly realized his mistake. He probably shouldn’t have said that. He was about to follow up with a silly question to change the subject when Ruza blurted out a question so fast Thyon barely understood it.

“So does your crush have blue or brown skin?”

Thyon laughed at the warriors’ blatant attempt to get him to confirm that his crush was indeed the only other non-blue male in the _Astral’s_ crew sitting beside him. Still smiling, he looked his friend in the eyes, winked, and drank. Before he could ask his next question they heard the rest of their friends approaching.

“Looks like our game is over. Which is ok with me considering that I won.” Ruza declared. He started to stand but tipped over, causing Thyon to erupt in delighted giggles.

“We didn’t keep score, but I’m pretty sure that I won,” replied Thyon. He had more success with standing up, but only because he grabbed the wing of the ship to steady himself.

Tzara and Lazlo were ahead of the others by a bit and they approached Thyon and Ruza as Feral and Werran entered the clearing. Tzara’s eagle eyes immediately took in the scene, two stumbling, laughing friends and a nearly empty bottle of wine. “Drinking on the job?”

“What else was there to do? More importantly, I won the game.” Ruza declared as he grabbed the wing of the ship to steady himself.

“Was he cheating again, Nero?” Lazlo asked.

“What do you mean, again?” Ruza pouted.

“You know exactly what he means, Ruza. But no, this time he played fair.”

Rook and Kiska caught up to the rest of their delegation and Rook’s mood instantly turned sour. “Are you both drunk?” Rook demanded. “You’re supposed to be guarding the ship and flying us back. Don’t you take anything seriously Ruza?”

They had been speaking in common tongue for Thyon’s benefit and the rapid switch to Amezrou when Rook started speaking nearly broke Thyon’s brain. His eyes went wide and he shook his head as if he was replying “No” and that caused both Ruza and Thyon to dissolve into fits of laughter.

“Hey at least they’re both here – unharmed and fully clothed” Tzara replied laughing as well.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Rook did not look impressed; in fact the look on his face might have frightened Thyon if he wasn’t so tipsy.

“Oh just that Ruza’s drunken foolishness and capacity for poorly thought out pranks knows no bounds.”

Ruza and Thyon fell to the ground in hysterics.

“All right, that’s enough of you two. _I’ll_ fly us back.” Tzara’s voice sounded like a schoolteacher scolding poorly behaved children and did nothing to abate their fits of laughter.

Thyon stood up and attempted to look sober. “It was my fault, I brought the wine,” his mouth had difficulty pronouncing Amezrou words and they came out a little bit slurred.

Lazlo tried to stifle a grin, and failed. “Lets just get going, I think everyone has had a long day and we’re all very tired.” He corralled his two drunken friends on to the ship and sat them at the back, away from everyone else. It took a couple minutes, since the seats on _The Dragon_ were rows of two facing forward and they insisted on sitting together, so it was difficult for Lazlo to help.

When everyone was seated, Lazlo announced they’d be having a debrief with everyone on the _Astral_ after they finished unloading _The Dragon_.

“Who’s got the energy for a debrief?” Ruza complained as he yawned. He then snuggled up to Thyon - rested his head on Thyon’s shoulder and murmured “Wake me up when we get back to the _Astral_.”

Neither of them slept; Ruza marvelled at how quickly Thyon’s body relaxed into his. He crossed his arms around his waist to give his hands something to do, and wished the flight were longer. Thyon marvelled at how easy Ruza had found a way to fit their bodies together like a puzzle, his skin tingled at every point of contact. This close he could smell the mint and rosemary from their soap in Ruza’s hair; he drank it in as if it was the most amazing thing he had ever smelled. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fishing-for-secrets-drinking game in this chapter was inspired by the one played by my favorite trash-ship Cazriel in an ACOTAR fic written by FrazzledDragon.


	3. A secret mission to discuss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Crew arrive back to the Astral and Thyon and Ruza are tipsy and sleepy.

Tzara docked _The Dragon_ in the hangar in the _Astral_. Thyon didn’t move. He was pretty sure Ruza wasn’t sleeping, and therefore didn’t need waking. He had a brief moment of panic because he was enjoying the feeling of Ruza resting on him but he was also terrified everyone would turn around and see them and he wasn’t sure which one was more important. He made up his mind and placed his hand on Ruza’s knee and squeezed gently.

Ruza made a soft “Hummm” and slowly sat up, stretched his arms out above his head and yawned. He turned to look at Thyon, his eyes were soft and sleepy, and when he smiled Thyon could feel the world slip away. They stared at each other, smiling softly, for barely a minute but it felt like eons for both of them.

Their brief, blissful moment was rudely interrupted by Lazlo poking his head back in the side door. It was then they realized that they were the only ones left in _The Dragon._

“Can you two make it out on your own, or do you need me to carry you like children?” he teased.

“You can craft us dragons to ride on and fly us to the gallery” Ruza shot back as he climbed out of his seat.

“You know the rules, no flying indoors” Lazlo replied. He walked away and they could hear him talking with the others as the airship was unloaded.

Thyon and Ruza headed to the rear door of the ship but Tzara intercepted them. “It’s probably best if neither of you carry anything.”

“If you say so.” Ruza sighed and headed towards the door that would bring him inside the _Astral_.

Thyon was about to do the same when Feral yelled, “Hold up Thyon, can you come here.” So he headed towards Feral instead.

“Can you take the box of samples to the laboratory? It would save me the trip. I’ll take the flowers to Sparrow.” Feral handed the box to Thyon.

“Sure. No problem.” Replied Thyon.

“Just be careful, ok?” Feral smiled at Thyon and wrapped his arms around several of the plants that had been brought back from De Aarde.

“I’ll try!” Thyon yelled back. He was already halfway across the hangar.

  
____________________________

Thyon turned to enter the laboratory then leaned on the doorjamb momentarily to steady himself. He set the samples he was carrying on the nearest bench, clumsily removed his satchel from his shoulder, and started pacing. The past couple hours felt like a dream. He just needed to sort through his emotions and breathe. Could it be so, so deliriously easy to like someone and have them like you back? And yet, his anxiety hadn’t abated. He was still terrified.

“Ok, ok, ok, ok” he repeated out loud as he paced. He ran his fingers through his hair and said “It’s good. Yes, yes its all good.” The wine was catching up with him and he felt a wave of dizziness so he gripped the edge of the nearest bench tightly and pressed his forehead onto the cold marble surface.

“Thyon, is everything all right? Are you okay?” Sarai asked, worry and concern lacing her voice.

Thyon jumped and fell to the floor. It felt like he was falling for years but in reality it was more of a stumble and sit down. He did not know that Sarai was in the laboratory with him, and a blush started to creep up his neck and cheeks when he realized that she had seen him acting weird because he thought he was alone.

“What the heck, Thyon!? Here let me help” Sarai ran over to him to try and help him upright.

“No, I think I’m fine on the floor. Come sit with me,” Thyon replied, patting the floor beside him. “I’m good really, it’s just I could swear the _Astral_ is moving rather fast.”

Sarai sat down on the floor next to Thyon, resting her back against the solid wood side panel of a long worktable. “The _Astral_ isn’t moving at all. I’ve never seen you like this before, have you had too much to drink?” She gave him a discerning look because this was the most disheveled she had ever seen him. Although recently he had seemed more relaxed in disposition, Sarai was fascinated by how impeccable Thyon’s appearance always was. She was certain it was a kind of magic of its own to look so put together and perfect all the time.

Thyon giggled, still unconvinced that their ship was stationery. “I played a drinking game with Ruza. With wine. Alcoholic wine.”

“Yeeess, I’m pretty sure I already knew that wine had alcohol in it. When you first came in it sounded like you were trying to convince yourself of something? What’s going on?” Sarai replied as she cast her eyes up and down inspecting Thyon for physical damage.

“There’s someone I like. I mean like like. And I think he likes me back. And I don’t know what to do really. I’m kind of hopeless. And I drank much wine.” His sentences were far from eloquent, but he was still impressed with himself for holding a conversation in Amezrou while tipsy.

“Are you talking about Ruza? Of course he likes you back!” Sarai laughed as though it was simple.

“What!” Thyon hadn’t intended to shout, and Sarai briefly grimaced so he whispered “How?”

“Did I know? It’s pretty obvious to anyone who is paying attention. The way you two look at each other, sigh. It’s so cute. Your faces are so full of hope and there’s witchlight in your eyes. Sometimes its as if the rest of us aren’t even here.”

“Does everyone know we like each other?” He asked while running his fingers through his hair, stopping at the top of his head and gripping as if he needed to hold the thoughts inside.

“I haven’t taken a poll. But plenty of us have noticed. It’s difficult to not notice some things when we all live together.”

“Ok, ok. I think Ruza knows I like him. Do you think he knows everyone else knows?” Thyon’s voice wavered and Sarai couldn’t tell if it was because he was worried, or because he had had too much wine.

“Maybe. But I don’t think it’s something to worry about. If it helps, I think you two would be really good for each other.” Sarai smiled at Thyon.

He let his hands fall from his head and sighed, his shoulders slumping a bit as they relaxed. He did actually feel better about the whole situation. Somehow knowing that others had figured it out without needing to be told made it seem less awkward. “Oh, um thanks. Wait, why were you here again?”

“I hadn’t told you yet. I was waiting for you here to ask a favor. Calixte’s birthday is in two days and since I don’t really know her that well I sort of left her gift to the last minute. I figured out what I’m going to make now, but since I can’t go down to De Aarde, I need some help. When you go back can you pick out some flowers and bring them back for me?”

Thyon tapped the side of his forehead and said, “Oh… oh. Maybe you don’t have to wait. We brought a couple different plants up today for Sparrow, some of them have flowers. Do you want your own samples, or can you share with Sparrow?”

“I can share. Thanks Thyon, I’ll take a look at the flowers from today and let you know if I need any more.”

They both heard the loud, distinctive gong of the ‘summoning bell’ as Calixte liked to call it. Which meant that everyone should gather in the map room for a meeting. They had decided they needed a room to meet and make plans as a group so Lazlo created a room adjacent to the library where they had hung up many of the maps they found among the treasure. They had arranged sofas and deep cushioned chairs with side tables in a sort of circular shape; circular so they could see each other when discussing and sofas because there’s no need to be uncomfortable when planning inter-dimensional space travel. Several large cork boards and a chalkboard had been brought up from Amezrou and installed in the room which left the Tizerkane feeling like they were children back in school.

Sarai stretched out her legs and said, “Sounds like we’re being summoned. I guess we better go to the map room. Were we supposed to have a meeting tonight?”

“Yeessss? I think Lazlo said something about that. Probably. Let’s go.” Thyon looked around for something to hold on to. He didn’t trust himself to stand up on his own.

“Hold on, I’ll help you up.” Sarai reached over and with her super-human ghost strength lifted Thyon up and set him on his feet. “Here” she said offering her arm, “lets walk together.” So they did.  
____________________________

They had further to go than the others, the laboratory being on a different level and down a corridor from the map room. So when they arrived most of the chairs and sofas were already full and the room was buzzing with the sounds of people talking and laughing. Sarai steered them in the direction of Lazlo and Ruza who were chatting with each other on one of the larger sofas; they parted and moved to the edges to make room for the newcomers, Thyon sat next to Ruza and Sarai squeezed between him and Lazlo.

“Where have you been?” Ruza asked Thyon, while waggling his eyebrows and tilting his chin towards Sarai.

“I had things to deliver to the laboratory. Then Sarai had a secret mission to discuss with me.” Thyon gloated, purposely goading Ruza.

“Secret mission, huh?”

Thyon was about to elaborate when Sparrow, Rook, and Suheyla entered the room bearing trays of snacks and beverages. Sarai turned to Thyon and said “I think you should have some water. _Both_ of you.” Before they could answer she was out of her seat and pouring two glasses of water. Sarai returned with a stern look on her face and handed Thyon and Ruza each a glass of water. Not wanting to start trouble, they both took a sip.

After everyone helped themselves to snacks and drinks and settled into their seats, Lazlo started the meeting. Each person who had been to De Aarde was asked to share their observations and conversations. Thyon, being tipsy still, struggled to talk in Amezrou and gave up. He told his part and then Lazlo translated. It seemed that so far, the locals and local government were willing to let them stay in the area, share resources with them and help them in their search to find the godspawn who had been sold to this world. Their history was rich with stories of travellers from the sky and they were interested in trading knowledge. There was so much to plan and discuss that Thyon didn’t understand why it all had to be done at once – especially late at night. His head felt heavy and his eyes kept sliding shut. He finally gave up trying to stay awake, rested his head on Ruza’s shoulder and promptly fell asleep. Ruza wasn’t awake long after Thyon, he too fell asleep against his friend.

Not long after they fell asleep, others began to tire and the meeting was ended for the night. Sarai and Lazlo playfully argued with Calixte and Tzara about whether or not someone should wake Thyon and Ruza. In the end, Sarai gently rubbed Thyon’s arm while saying in a singsong voice “Wake up sleepyheads. It’s time to go to bed.”

It was Ruza who woke first though and replied “We’re up we’re up.” He yawned loudly as the others left the map room. As he stood up he couldn’t help groaning, then held his hands out to Thyon who had just opened his eyes and said “Come on, beds are better than sofas. Let’s get you to your room.”

Thyon took Ruza’s hands and allowed himself to be pulled up to standing. Everything was fuzzy and his eyelids felt like they had anchors tied to the ends pulling them down. So he wrapped his arm around Ruza’s shoulders and leaned against the warrior. It struck him how quickly he had become comfortable with physical affection with Ruza, and how every instance was cherished and yet it was never enough and he craved more.

Ruza smiled to himself and put his arm around Thyon’s waist. His brain was foggy with sleep and wine which made it difficult to determine if he was dreaming or awake; how could it possibly be reality if him and Thyon were walking so intimately together like lovers. He walked slowly because it was slightly difficult to manage walking and keeping the both of them upright when they were exhausted and also because he wanted to savor every second.

They eventually arrived to the corridor where their rooms were. Tonight Ruza was glad that they had chosen rooms next to each other, because he wouldn’t have to go far after bringing Thyon to his room. Ruza’s hand slid from Thyon’s waist to the small of his back as he gently rubbed up and down. “We’re here.” He quietly announced.

“You smell nice” Thyon murmured.

“Aren’t you sweet.” Said Ruza as he opened Thyon’s door. “Are you ok to sort yourself out? I’m so tired I can hardly stand.”

“I’m fine thanks” Thyon yawned as he peeled himself off of Ruza. He stumbled through his door and sat down on a bench to take his boots off. He was only vaguely aware of Ruza closing his door. Now that he was in his room he could barely stay awake but he managed to take his trousers off before collapsing into bed and falling fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a very short chapter with just the conversation between Sarai and Thyon... But then I kept writing because it felt abrupt to end it there. Writing Sarai was really difficult - there's no way my writing could compare to the books.


	4. Just because I think you’d be good at it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thyon has a horrible hangover and a lot on his mind. Ruza is a sweetheart. Suheyla is the best grandma and gives sage advice.

Thyon woke the next day and immediately wished he hadn’t. His mouth was parched and gravelly, his head was throbbing, and waves of nausea rolled over him. He slowly got out of bed and made his way to his bathing room, nearly tripping on the trousers he’d left on the floor last night in his haste to get in bed. He drank some cold water from the tap and decided to take a cool bath in the hope it would help him feel better.

While the bath was filling, he tidied his room and tried to recall how he had gotten from the map room to his bedroom last night. Everything was fuzzy and it annoyed him. He vaguely recalled that Ruza had helped him (because of course he did) and he wished he could remember the details. It seemed important. If drinking too much leads to feeling this horrible the next day, and not being able to remember what happened, I won’t be doing it again he promised himself.

Thyon was toweling off after his bath, feeling marginally better, when he heard a knock at his door. He hastily threw on his dressing gown and quickly ran his fingers through his wet hair as he headed towards the door. He tried in vain to remember if he was supposed to be somewhere that morning and figured that he probably was and he was probably late. When he opened the door, he saw Ruza holding a large orange-colored beverage and a plate of food, grinning like he had just said something funny. “Oh!” Thyon exclaimed in surprise, and immediately started rubbing his throbbing temple.

“Good morning sunshine.” Ruza crooned as his eyes roamed over his friend. He didn’t fail to notice the way the dressing gown fell open at the top revealing a V down Thyon’s chest, or his wet, mussed up golden hair. Ruza was thankful that his hands were full because his desire to touch Thyon was overwhelming. “I made you my famous hangover cure, and judging by the way you’re pressing your temple, you need it.”

“What’s in it?” Thyon asked as he took both from Ruza and set them on his desk. He perched against the edge of his desk for support, his body was still struggling with staying upright.

Ruza leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb and stuck his hands in his pockets to keep them from fidgeting. “Step one has orange juice, mango puree, honey, ginger, and willow bark powder – should help with the nausea and headache. Step two as you can see is bacon, fried eggs, fried potatoes, and some bread and hummus that Suheyla made. You’ll feel much better after eating fat, carbs, and salt.” Ruza noticed the dubious look Thyon was giving him so he added “Promise.”

“Thanks.” Thyon said before he took a sip. “Actually, that tastes pretty good.”

“Of course it does.” Ruza flashed a grin at Thyon again. As Thyon was drinking he took the opportunity to nosily look around. Besides for the stacks of papers and books on the desk, the room was tidy. Unlike Ruza’s room, it was sparsely decorated which gave it a more utilitarian feel. In fact, the alchemical laboratory had more decoration and showed more of Thyon’s character than his bedroom. “Anyway it’s the least I could do after getting you drunk yesterday. I better get going, I’m supposed to be piloting _The Dragon_ on a trip to De Aarde soon.”

“Wait,” Thyon replied. “I don’t remember what the plans are for today. Am I supposed to be somewhere?”

Ruza noticed the look of embarrassment on his friends face as he drank more of the fruit puree. “Wellll when you slept through breakfast a couple hours ago we decided to change the plans.”

Thyon groaned and pushed the palm of his hand to his forehead causing Ruza to chuckle. “Don’t worry about it. The new plan leaves you free for the morning. I’ll be flying down with Lazlo, Calixte, Feral, Kiska, and Werran to have a tour of the city below us. We should be back in a couple hours. In the meantime, try to eat some food.”

“I will, thanks again for this,” Thyon gestured to the food as he gave a small smile.

“Of course,” replied Ruza as he nodded his head towards Thyon and stood up. “I’ll see you later.” He turned and was gone before Thyon could say anything more. Thyon walked over and closed his door then returned to his desk and took a few tentative bites of food. His head was beginning to clear, thanks to the willow bark powder, and not for the first time did Thyon find himself thinking about how observant and caring the warrior was. He thought back to the first time that Ruza had done something like this, when he brought bandages for Thyon’s blistered palms and he smiled at the memory.

After getting dressed he headed to the kitchen with the empty glass and nearly empty plate to wash them. He found Suheyla was already there, which was fortuitous since he hadn’t had a language lesson in a few days. Plus, she’d almost certainly put Thyon to work and it would be a welcome break from the nonstop barrage of thoughts and feelings he had been having lately. “Good morning,” he said as headed towards the sink.

“Thyon! Good morning. How are you feeling?” Suheyla turned to look at him, brushing flour from her hand on to her apron.

“I’m feeling better, thanks. Ruza made me some sort of special fruit drink, and I think he’s on to something because it actually helped my headache.”

She smiled warmly at Thyon, “In that case, there’s more in the icebox. He left it for you.” Thyon headed towards the icebox and heard Suheyla calling after him “While you’re in there, can you get me 20 eggs?”

“Sure,” he yelled back, adding the eggs to a basket and grabbing the drink from the storeroom and bringing them into the kitchen.

“Want to help me make pastry?” she asked, taking the basket of eggs from Thyon’s hand.

“I would love to. Let me get the notebook. What are you making today?” Thyon went to the nearest cupboard and pulled out a large paperbound book that he had made specially for recording Suheyla’s recipes. After the first few weeks of language lessons in the map room, both Thyon and Suheyla had grown a bit restless, so she had suggested they have “life lessons” where he would learn Amezrou while they did activities. Suheyla had started teaching Thyon to bake breads and pastries, and it turned out he greatly enjoyed it. Her initial reasoning was ‘just because I think you’d be good at it,’ and it didn’t take long for Thyon to figure out why: baking was very similar to alchemy; it involved measuring precise quantities, using various specialised techniques to achieve different results, and an understanding of chemical reactions. Once he understood the basic principles and techniques it was quite easy and a relaxing way to spend a few hours. Plus, spending time with Suheyla, who genuinely cared about him, filled a hole in Thyon’s heart that he supposed should have been occupied by his own parents. The damage that their lack of affection, rigidity, and abuse had wreaked was slowly being undone by the love and affection from Suheyla and his friends aboard the _Astral_.

“Well Calixte asked for a variety of pastries for her birthday, so I’m going to start with some diples since you’re here to help. I don’t usually make less than 50, which is what we’re going to make today, so if you want to make the recipe in the book for less, you’ll have to do the math.” She then went about collecting ingredients from various cupboards as she listed them out for Thyon to write down.

Writing the recipes down was an idea that Thyon had so he could practice his written Amezrou and so Suheyla always read the recipe and instructed him in any necessary corrections. He was glad to have the recipes though for other reasons. He enjoyed having a reminder of their time spent together and his progress in learning Amezrou, but also he had a written record of Suheyla’s recipes. Being a scholar by training, where everything important was written down in books, was one of the things that Thyon had not given up. In fact, he was finding that this particular habit of his was so useful that he was teaching Feral how to do it as well. When Feral complained that he knew how to write he had explained that note-taking and record keeping are useless if done poorly.

They spent the next couple hours making diples and chatting, with Suheyla making corrections to Thyon’s pronunciation and grammar along the way. When all the sweet confections were stacked up in boxes, and the mess they had made was nearly clean, Thyon put the kettle on to make tea. Their normal routine was to share a pot of tea and taste whatever it is they had just made while chatting. Thyon busied himself with the tea while Suheyla wiped down the counter tops. When they were finished they settled into a little nook with a table and chairs that Suheyla had Lazlo make just because she enjoys taking tea breaks with everyone.

“You seem a bit distracted today. Is something on your mind, or is the hangover back?” Suheyla asked while Thyon poured tea into their brightly colored porcelain teacups.

Thyon considered his options while Suheyla added milk and sugar to her tea. More often than not he found himself pouring his heart out to Suheyla over tea. Her wisdom and advice seemed to be just what Thyon needed to hear so he might as well tell her this one, even if he was mortally embarrassed. Finally, he said “I’m worried about something and I feel shame, no, that’s not the correct word. Maybe silly? I feel silly saying it.” He didn’t know the word for embarrassed in Amezrou so he made a mental note to ask Lazlo how to say it.

“I doubt its silly. Come on, out with it.” Suheyla replied.

“I am 21 years old, and I’ve never romantically kissed someone or been with, what’s the word, sleeping with someone. And now, there might be someone I want to do these things with, but what if I’m bad at them? I don’t want to be a disappointment.” Thyon sighed and looked down at his tea.

“Oh, my dear young man, you have nothing to worry about.” Suheyla reached out and squeezed his hand. “Listen to me, experience does not equal skill. Even people who have experience can be poor lovers. And lack of experience means nothing if there’s passion, attraction, and trust. Besides, at the beginning of every new relationship things are awkward no matter how much skill or experience you have. Now, I will tell you what is important. Pay attention to your lover, become an expert in their pleasure. If it helps, in the beginning, mirror the things that they are doing. But also, enjoy the moment. Enjoy your turn and don’t accept stingy lovers.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Thyon replied.

“When it’s with the right person, it is easy. Just remember to enjoy yourself, and keep a sense of humor.” Suheyla finished her tea and poured them both some more.

“I’ll try,” Thyon squeaked. He could feel his cheeks flaming as he ate the last of the diples on his plate.

“Shall we review the recipe?” Suheyla asked, changing the subject.

“Sure,” agreed Thyon. He reached over and grabbed the book from the nearest countertop and they went through it together.

“I’m hardly correcting you at all these days. You’re nearly fluent.” Suheyla remarked when they finished.

“The book still has plenty of room for recipes though. And there’s still so many things I don’t know how to make.”

“Oh I wasn’t implying that you should stop helping me bake. Who will tell me all of the gossip?” Suheyla stood up and began clearing away their dishes. “I expect the others will be back soon. You’d better hurry if you’re going to leave that tin of diples in Ruza’s room.”

Thyon started to protest, but shook his head and laughed instead. “Nothing gets past you, does it? Are you sure you don’t need my help with the dishes?”

“Absolutely not. Now go.” She shooed him with her hand and then turned to finish clearing the table.

Thyon put the recipe book back in the cupboard, grabbed the floral tin he had filled with diples, and headed towards his room. He went straight to his desk and rummaged through a drawer until he found a small scrap of paper – he wrote a hasty note of thanks for the breakfast. Although he knew that Ruza wasn’t back yet, it felt weird to just barge into his room, so he knocked on the door before opening it. He set the tin and the note on the nearest dresser to the door and left. When he got back to his room he closed his door and climbed into bed for a nap hoping that his head would clear if he just had a bit more sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone was wondering willow bark contains salicylic acid which is the active ingredient of aspirin. - It was used throughout history for pain relief before humans figured out how to synthesise it. I've taken some artistic liberties with its preparation and effects though, and made it a powder and more reliable (the extraction from plants can be haphazard and incorrect dosing often made people vomit).


	5. Game on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew of the Astral is introduced to the concept of swimming suits and our disaster boy Thyon, who is still hungover, discovers flirting

Thyon awoke to a loud banging noise. He sat up and looked around frantically when the banging happened again. He groaned as he realized it was the door and tossed the bed sheets aside. His body was still half asleep and clumsy, but he managed to pull himself out of bed, stumble to the door and open it – only to find Ruza grinning at him eating a diple.

“I suppose I have you to thank for these? The note wasn’t signed.” Ruza asked brandishing the last bite. His hair was wet and Thyon could smell the rosemary and mint of their soap.

“Well unless you made breakfast for anyone else today…” Thyon replied as he rubbed his palms over his eyes and wondered why Ruza had washed in the middle of the day.

“Ha! Very funny. Have you spent the whole day in bed?” Ruza demanded, putting his hands on his hips for emphasis.

“No, who do you think made the diples? Suheyla and I had a language lesson while she taught me how to make them. I only _just_ fell asleep.” Thyon yawned and stretched his arms out. He knew he wouldn’t be returning to bed now that the others were back.

“You wont feel any better after a nap, trust me. You just have to power through to the end of the day. Come on, we’re having a late lunch before Lazlo calls another meeting.” For his part Ruza was enjoying seeing Thyon flustered and rumpled; it made Thyon seem more real, more human which had a dizzying effect on Ruza. Oh how he longed to just reach out and touch the beautiful boy in front of him, but he held back, knowing Thyon was hungover and likely not in the mood.

“Ok,” Thyon sighed. And as if he could read Ruza’s thoughts, he ran his fingers through his mussed up hair. “If I join for lunch will you make me another fruit drink?”

Ruza laughed and replied “Of course.”

They walked together towards the kitchen while Ruza chatted about how fun it was going to be to have a party for Calixte’s birthday celebrations tomorrow. Ruza had tried to get Thyon to reveal what his gift was but even hungover Thyon wasn’t foolish enough to tell him. They could hear the din of loud conversation in the gallery so Thyon followed Ruza into the kitchen to delay the onslaught to his sensitive brain. Thyon intended to help Ruza but he spent most of the time with his elbows on the countertop and his head in his hands, eyes half-closed and yawning.

When they finally joined everyone else at the table, Thyon tried to focus on eating small bites and tuning everyone else out. He slumped in his chair and rubbed his temples; it was obvious to anyone who had ever drunk too much wine that he was suffering so they left him alone during the meal.

As the plates were being stacked, and the leftover food put away Lazlo announced it was time to head to the map room. Thyon stood up slowly and shuffled along with everyone else. He sat with Ruza and Sarai on the same sofa as the night before and watched as Lazlo put a large box on the table.

“What’s in the box?” asked Ruby, who was not known for her patience.

“We’ll get to it,” replied Lazlo. “We have a lot of good news to share from today.” He continued. “I’ll let Calixte start.”

Calixte smiled and announced, “You will all be pleased to hear that I can communicate with our new friends in the city below. Their language seems to be a very old version of the language from my country. I can mostly understand what they are saying, and they can mostly understand me.”

The room seemed to Thyon to roar back to life as many people started talking at once. “That’s incredible!” Sarai said loudly enough to be heard above everyone else. “And really useful.”

Lazlo waited until it was quiet before speaking again. “We know people from other worlds used the portals so there must have been other travellers from Zeru long ago that settled on De Aarde.” Lazlo explained. “I’ll try to quickly summarise the good news so we can discuss all of it. The city rulers, the triumvirate, have set aside 5 horses for our use, and showed us lakes where we can fish. A farmer has offered to let us trade Sparrow’s skills in growing plants for several chickens, which we can keep for eggs. The triumvirate has also contacted other governments on the continent and they will be sending delegations to meet us over the next couple of weeks. And now the best news that relates to the box.” Lazlo paused to make sure he had everyone’s full attention. “There is an area with thermal pools that they call spas. We have been allowed to use them every morning for the next week in private. One of them is large enough to swim in. Some of them are warm and some are quite hot. Our tour guide claimed they are very relaxing to sit in.”

Sarai noticed the way Lazlo hesitated and asked, “What’s the catch?”

“We have to follow their rules.” Lazlo replied. “And the rules are that we have to wear special ‘bathing costumes’ as they called them, which are in this box, and we must be clean. There’s a cabin next to the pools to change in and wash if needed. We’ll go in groups, and half of the group will stay at the ship while half of the group goes to the spas and then they’ll switch. Because it’s Calixte’s birthday, her and Tzara, and Ruza and Thyon will take the first visit tomorrow morning.”

There was a lot of loud groaning and argument from several people. Thyon wondered why no one was asking about the ‘bathing costumes.’

After the noise and arguments had petered out, Tzara finally asked about the costumes. Ruza jumped out of his seat, and with a slightly wild look in his eyes opened the box. “Just wait until you see them!” He announced. He reached in and pulled out a pair of black colored undershorts that were smaller than anything Thyon had seen in his life. They were so small he was sure they had to be for Minya. “These are for the guys.” Ruza announced with glee. He pulled his hands out and they stretched. “See, they stretch. There’s two sizes and two colors and we have enough for everyone.” He brought out more from the box and started handing them out.

Ruby snatched a pair out of Feral’s hands to inspect and started hysterically laughing.

Calixte headed to the box and said “Just wait till you see the version for women, Ruby.” She pulled something out of the box that caused the entire room to go quiet. Thyon’s eyes went wide and he kept looking at it, but he just couldn’t figure out how it worked. There must have been a collective look of confusion because Calixte started explaining “You step into the leg holes, pull it up over your torso, and then put your arms through the straps. We got a couple of different sizes and colors.” She held it up to her body so everyone could see approximately how it would look.

“Wait,” Sparrow interrupted. “But that’s so small. Surely that doesn’t fit.”

“It stretches, like the guys shorts. I tried it on, this ones large enough for me.” Calixte replied then tossed a black one to Tzara. “We also have green and blue.” She pulled more out of the box.

Thyon was still staring at the strange women’s garment when Ruza nudged him and asked “Blue or black?” holding out one of each of the tiny undershorts.

“Blue I guess,” he replied. He looked around to see if any of the others were uncomfortable. Sparrow looked concerned, and Minya looked horrified, but otherwise everyone else seemed to be ok.

“I won’t be going to these spas since I can’t swim,” Minya gritted out when Calixte tried to hand her a costume.

“No need to worry about that. Some of the pools are very shallow – they’re for sitting in. And there’s a shallow ledge in the deep swimming pool. We also saw these large rings that people were sitting on that keep them afloat. So everyone can join.” Calixte replied merrily as she set a small costume on the table net to Minya.

Once everyone had a costume, the room again erupted in argument over the groups and the order in which people would get to go to the spas. Lazlo started writing a schedule on the chalkboard. Thyon closed his eyes and rubbed his temples again. The hardest part about living with 13 other, very different, people was trying to make decisions that everyone agreed with. Thyon was growing accustomed to the debate and consensus process, he was even getting better at compromising, but right now he was finding it difficult to be charitable when it felt like someone was ramming an ice-pick into his skull.

Calixte and Tzara announced that they were going to try their costumes on and then wash them and left the room. Lazlo tried to tell everyone else that they should also try them on, since they had extra but Thyon could hardly hear him above the cacophony of arguments. He got up and headed to the library for some peace and quiet. He was struggling to put coherent thoughts together so he neglected to say goodbye as he left the map room.

As he walked over the thick, ornate carpets in the dimly lit library, and the arguments of the map room became a distant clatter, he felt his shoulders relax and the throbbing across his forehead eased slightly. He could hear that someone was following him, and that person had closed the door between the map room and the library. He suspected it was Ruza and slowed his pace. Less than a minute later there was an arm around his waist and Thyon struggled to suppress a gasp.

“Hey are you ok?” Ruza asked quietly as he rubbed soothing circles along Thyon’s back. He was holding a dim glave light in his other hand.

Thyon leaned into Ruza - his upper body was tingling from Ruza’s touch and the sensation was delightful despite his hangover. “My head is throbbing, I just needed to be somewhere quieter and darker.”

“Ok if I join you?” Ruza asked, keeping his voice low. They resumed walking, but he kept his hand resting on the small of Thyon’s back.

“Of course,” Thyon replied. He led them towards two deep cushioned wingback chairs in the back corner of the library. The small table in between the chairs still had the book on it that he had been reading the other day. Thyon deposited the swimming costume on the table next to the book and sat down. He promptly leaned his head against the wing of the chair and sighed. Ruza set the glave in a nearby sconce, then turned his chair so it was angled more towards Thyon’s and sat down.

“Those,” Thyon pointed to the costume on the table with a look of mild disgust on his face. “Look terribly uncomfortable. I’m not really looking forward to wearing them.”

A brief moment passed where Ruza studied the alchemist. “No problem, I have thought of a solution to that.” He stroked his chin and looked pensively at Thyon. “It’ll be just the two of us so if you don’t want to wear them we can swim nude. I don’t mind.” Ruza’s voice was nonchalant and he grinned mischievously at Thyon.

Thyon gasped with exaggerated shock, “That sounds like a thinly veiled attempt to get me naked.” He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked.

Ruza was no longer content with playing coy or hiding his desire. “Ah well that’s where you’re wrong” his voice was low and husky, his eyes twinkled and he still had a devilish grin as Thyon arched his eyebrows. “It wasn’t veiled at all. It was a blatant attempt to get you naked.”

Thyon felt a rush of adrenaline as he realized this was what flirting was. Ruza was flirting with him! No longer could he deny that the warrior’s physical affection was a sign of his attraction. No longer could he try to explain away Ruza’s actions as simply friendliness or kindness. Thyon felt suddenly alive in a way he had never before. He uncrossed his arms, leaned forward and said playfully “Bold of you to assume I’m that easy.” The smile on his face was positively feline. “No, you’re going to have to work for it.” Their eyes locked and he could tell that Ruza was enjoying this too.

“Mmhmm. And what word would you use to describe the breakfast I made for you this morning? Was that not work?” Ruza demanded, equally playfully, while holding Thyon’s gaze.

“That doesn’t count since it’s your fault I got drunk and missed breakfast.”

“All right, fine. I’ve never backed down from a challenge before. So, game on.” They sat in the glave light smirking at each other for several moments before Ruza continued. “I meant to ask earlier, do you know how to swim?”

“I have never been swimming in my life. So, no.” Thyon answered, thinking about how tomorrow he would get to see Ruza nearly naked when they went to the spas. “You’ll have to keep an eye on me and make sure I don’t drown.”

“You shall have my full and undivided attention,” Ruza swore with his hand on his hearts. “On my honor, I will let no harm befall you whilst we swim.” Again he flashed a devastating smile at Thyon. “Make sure you wear something light tomorrow morning,” he continued, “Because we will begin your defensive training while we wait for Calixte and Tzara at the ship. And I intend to make you sweat.”

The thought of them training together was too much for Thyon; his hearts began beating wildly and he felt feverish. The heat in his core that had been building since Ruza had wrapped his arm around him spread throughout his body. He could feel his desire turn to arousal and he was suddenly very aware of his surroundings. He bit his bottom lip and ran a hand through his hair.

Ruza had not taken his eyes off of Thyon and noticed the shift in his demeanor with interest. A smugly satisfied smile slowly crept up his face – he had literally got Thyon hot and bothered. His hands gripped the chair’s armrests tightly as he imagined what it would be like to run _his_ hand through Thyon’s golden hair.

They heard the sound of the library door opening, flooding the room with the chatter of everyone in the map room, and both jumped a little in their seats. Thyon shifted his body away from Ruza and crossed his legs.

“Hey Ruza, are you in here?” they heard Sparrow calling from the open door.

Ruza quickly stood up. “Yeah, we’re sitting in the green chairs. What’s up?” he called back.

They could both hear Sparrow’s soft footsteps as she headed towards them. “It’s our turn to wash the lunch dishes and prepare for dinner, remember?” A complicated chore rota had been worked out many weeks ago, before they left Zeru when Minya had finally agreed to not holding ghosts against their will and making them servants.

“Oh, right, sorry. I’m on my way now.” Ruza replied. He turned back to Thyon, who was doing a horrible job of looking laid-back and casual. “See you in a bit?”

“Probably,” They heard a crash and the sounds of laughter from the map room. Thyon grimaced. “Dinner with everyone might be too much for me. I might stay here instead. I haven’t decided yet.”

“Ok. Want me to set a plate aside for you if you don’t turn up?”

“Um, sure, yeah. Thanks.” Thyon and Ruza smiled at each other warmly and Thyon watched as Ruza turned and walked away. He heard the voices of Ruza and Sparrow from the front of the library and he settled back in to the calm of silence when they closed the door. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. The adrenaline rush from earlier was beginning to ebb and in its place the hammering of a headache was returning.

Thyon remained in the library for most of the evening. It was dark, and quiet, and nobody bothered him. He spent some of the time leafing through _Miracles for Breakfast_ since he knew it by heart and he didn’t have to strain his eyes reading the text. The rest of the time was spent with his eyes closed, cataloguing every interaction he had had with Ruza in the past two days and relishing the simple joy of knowing that someone desired him. Weeks ago he had tried imagining different scenarios between himself and the warrior, but he had discovered that his lack of experience meant that his daydreams were black and white facsimiles in comparison to the full kaleidoscope of color that was reality. So he had given up on trying to predict the future and instead was content to relive the past, lest he forget a single moment.

By the time he left the library and wandered through the gallery, everyone had dispersed for the evening. He headed towards the kitchen to find some food and found Sparrow still there, drying dishes and placing them in the cupboards. “Hi Sparrow,” he greeted her quietly.

“Hey Thyon,” she replied. “Ruza set a plate aside for you over there.” She pointed at the countertop of the workbench in the middle of the kitchen.

“Isn’t he supposed to be here too?” Thyon asked as he took cutlery out of the drawer.

“He was – you just missed him. Lazlo wanted his help drawing a map of the city from the tour they had today and there wasn’t much left to do here.” She finished putting away the last of the dishes. “They brought back bottles of fizzy orange drink today. Do you want to share one?”

“Sure,” Thyon replied as he settled into the kitchen nook with his food.

Thyon heard a loud ‘pop’ as Sparrow removed the cork from one of the bottles. She poured a glass for each of them, set them on the table, and sat across from Thyon. In between bites of food Thyon glanced at Sparrow; she had the concerned look on her face he had noticed in the map room. “Is everything ok?” he asked.

“Rook asked me to go to the spas with him.” She replied quietly, keeping her eyes focused on her drink.

“Isn’t that good?” Thyon asked. Last week they had been discussing the possible scientific uses of one of the flowers Sparrow had created when Rook had entered the garden. Thyon had surprised himself by noticing the difference in Sparrow’s body language and he suspected that she was attracted to Rook.

“Um, normally I guess it would be, but he waited until the very end and we were the only ones left and I think he only asked me because there were no other options.” She took a sip of her drink and Thyon was glad because she had spoke so fast he was struggling to keep up.

“Maybe he was too shy to ask straight away? To be fair, before I left everyone was arguing and it was difficult to be heard above the noise.” Thyon replied then ate a bit more of his food.

Sparrow seemed to be considering what he said and she was quiet for a while. Then she asked, “If you were attracted to women, would you think that I was attractive, or pretty?”

Thyon and Sparrow had become fast friends over their mutual interest in the beneficial uses of plants. They sometimes gossiped about the others, and occasionally shared small secrets but this conversation had taken a sudden turn into territory Thyon was completely unprepared to deal with. He rubbed his right temple and took a sip of the orange drink to give himself time to think of a response. Sparrow’s face was suddenly difficult to read and didn’t want to say the wrong thing. “I think that attraction is really personal and specific,” he started “for a long time I wasn’t attracted to anyone and I didn’t think that was likely to change. I wasn’t even attracted to Ruza when I first met him. It wasn’t until I pulled my head out of my ass…” Sparrow giggled at that. “No it’s true,” he continued. “It wasn’t until I stopped being a jerk and started to make friends that I realised I liked him. I hardly even noticed him before that, and he is objectively good looking. So are you. But I’m learning that attraction isn’t straightforward, it doesn’t have rules like physics or chemistry.”

Thyon dared a glance at Sparrow and she didn’t seem offended or angry so he carried on. “I think there is someone out there for you, maybe they’re aboard the _Astral_ right now, and maybe not. Maybe focus on getting to know Rook first, and see what happens. I’m not really experienced in male-female relationships, but Ruza is, maybe he would give you better advice.”

“Oh,” Sparrow looked surprised. “I thought because Ruza clearly likes you that he was only interested in guys.”

“Apparently not,” Thyon replied with a bit of amusement. “I’m not really that surprised though that he’s been with both men and women.”

Sparrow seemed to be considering his words as she finished her drink. “I didn’t even know that was a thing, to like both.” Her words were barely above a whisper. “Doesn’t it bother you, that you’re not the only one for him?”

“I’m fairly certain he likes only me right now. And that’s what matters to me. What he did in the past is in past. Sometimes you don’t know what or who you like until you try it. And if it doesn’t fit, you move on.” Thyon smiled tentatively, hoping that he was saying the right things. No one, especially not a woman, had ever asked him for advice.

Sparrow nodded. “I think I have a lot to think about,” she said, standing up. “Thanks for listening, and for the advice.”

“Any time,” Thyon replied, and he meant it. Sparrow left the kitchen and Thyon turned back to his half-full plate and decided he wasn’t that hungry anymore. He cleaned up and headed back to his room.

After some internal debate, he decided he might as well try the costume on tonight so he could mentally prepare himself for wearing it tomorrow. He went to his bathing room and put it on. Although it was absolutely skin tight, the material was soft and stretchy so it wasn’t as bad as he had imagined. He looked at himself in the polished mesarthium mirror and frowned – the scars on his arms and back were clearly visible. Funny that he was just discussing attraction with Sparrow considering he was now contemplating the chances of Ruza changing his mind about desiring to see Thyon naked when he finally saw all of his scars. He tried to push those thoughts aside, reminding himself that Ruza had already glimpsed his arms once before, and that hadn’t deterred him. In fact, Ruza had a fair amount of scars on his arms and that hadn’t dimmed Thyon’s desire for the warrior. Although Ruza’s were likely from training or battle, and Thyon’s clearly were… not. He sighed loudly and made up his mind to _not_ think about these things any longer.

Sleep was beckoning and it was late enough in the evening that he could go to bed and be undisturbed until morning. He washed the costume in the bathroom sink, then washed himself and went to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It may take a while to write the next couple of chapters because things are finally happening! and I want to get it right.


	6. Head in the clouds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruza starts training Thyon in self-defence while they guard the Lady Spider

The bell on Thyon’s clock was making the gods-awful ringing noise and in his semi-awake state he wondered why he had set that infernal alarm. He reached out and turned it off then settled back in under the covers. A mix of excitement and apprehension settled over him as he remembered what today was: training day, spas day, and party day. He’d be mostly alone with Ruza the entire morning! He suddenly decided against having a lie in.

His wardrobe wasn’t as extravagant as it used to be, not that he needed it to be, but he did wish he had more options than the ones he was staring now. Nothing really seemed to go with ‘defensive combat training with your best friend who you also desperately want to kiss.’ He settled on a form-fitting dark green shirt, lightweight brown trousers and ankle length boots. 

He stepped out of his door and saw that he had just missed Ruza. He watched the warrior walk down the corridor, noticing that he was once again wearing a vest, and his trousers were incredibly tight. In those trousers, Ruza’s backside was a sight to behold; Thyon wondered how he’d not noticed this before. Desire flooded his senses and the more he watched, the stronger his arousal became. When Ruza turned the corner the spell was broke and Thyon quickly ran to his bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. It occurred to him then that he suddenly understood the phrase ‘sex appeal.’ He laughed at his own innocence. How many times had he heard some aristocrat use that phrase to describe one of the dolled up girls at a Zosma ball and he’d never fully understood it. Until now. How in the world was he supposed to get through this day without utterly embarrassing himself?

He splashed more cold water on his face in the hopes that the cold would snap him out of his arousal. He couldn’t go to breakfast with an erection. He had told Ruza that he wasn’t easy, but his body was proving him a liar. He started to chide himself for being so weak as to have lost control of his own body, then he thought better of it and chided himself for being such a jerk to himself. At least his argument with himself had the desired effect and he could now leave his room.

On his way to the gallery Thyon noticed the distinct lack of voices, which meant there must not be very many people at breakfast yet. In fact, Ruza was sitting by himself at the long table.

“Morning,” he said when he saw Thyon enter the gallery.

“Morning,” Thyon replied. “Are we the only ones up?”

“Tzara and Suheyla are in the kitchen.”

“Oh ok.” Thyon served himself from the food already on the table and then sat down in his usual seat across from Ruza.

“Are you feeling better?” Ruza asked, in between mouthfuls.

“So much better. I’m never drinking that much wine again.” Thyon replied ruefully.

“Good,” Ruza smirked, “Then I won’t have to go easy on you at training.”

“Of course not.” Thyon smiled back, and then turned his attention to his food. They ate their respective breakfasts in companionable silence.

Tzara came through the gallery carrying a tray with two plates full of food on them. “We’re meeting at the _Lady Spider_ in 1 hour,” she said.

“And where are you going?” demanded Ruza. “Too busy to eat with the rest of us?”

“No, Calixte is still sleeping so I’m bringing her breakfast in bed for her birthday.” She explained.

“Awww aren’t you a sweetheart.” Ruza said with a syrupy sweat voice while batting his eyelashes.

Thyon tried to not laugh and ended up choking on his apple juice. He didn’t hear what Tzara’s reply was and he was still coughing when she said “Later,” and left. By the time he managed to regain his composure, Sparrow and Feral had joined them.

They spent the next half hour discussing horseback riding, which both Feral and Sparrow were excited and nervous to try. Thyon considered how bizarre it must be to have grown up without having exposure to any animals other than birds in the distant sky. Discovering wildlife, seeing it up close and in-person must surely be equal amounts terrifying and exhilarating. Thakrar, he thought, the Amezrou word for it is thakrar. He briefly considered that they might have started smaller, with dogs or cats first, before introducing them to horses. In the end he and Ruza had offered to teach Sparrow and Feral how to ride horses.

Thyon glanced at his watch, “We’d better get going,” he announced.

“Have fun at the spas!” Sparrow replied smiling at Thyon.

“We will!” Ruza exclaimed as he gathered his dishes and headed towards the kitchen.

“I want to hear all about it when you get back.” Sparrow demanded as Thyon was about to leave the gallery as well.

“Of course!” he happily replied.

Thyon and Ruza had just enough time to wash their dishes in the kitchen and return to their rooms to retrieve anything they wanted to bring on their trip. Just before Ruza ducked into his room Thyon called out “Hey do we need to bring towels?”

“No, the spas provide them.”

“Ok.” Thyon ran to his desk and grabbed his satchel, stuffing the swimming costume inside. He filled his canteen with water from the tap in the bathroom and added it to his satchel. He considered how sweaty he might get training and added a fresh pair of undershorts as well, no sense in putting gross sweaty ones back on after swimming.

Thyon heard Calixte’s laugh in the corridor so he swiftly left his room. He was just in time to see Ruza practically tackle her in a bear hug. “Happy birthday!” he shouted into the back of Calixte’s neck as he lifted her off the ground.

Calixte laughed even harder. “Thank you, you overgrown oaf,” she teased when he released his grasp on her.

“I’m not overgrown,” Ruza protested, “I’m just the right size of oaf. Nero, don’t you agree?”

“Don’t drag me into this.” Thyon held up his hands as if he wanted no part but the truth was that he got a little burst of joy every time he was included in their banter. He turned to Calixte and said “Happy birthday.”

Thyon wasn’t sure if he should also hug Calixte and he awkwardly hesitated long enough for Tzara to cut in. “You better give her a birthday hug before she starts pouting.” So he did.

The four of them made their way to the _Lady Spider_ ; Calixte spent the entire walk to the ship trying to guess what her presents were. Most of her guesses were outlandish and silly, but that didn’t stop Thyon from worrying about whether she would like his gift or not. When they reached the hangar Ruza picked up a large canvas bag that had been placed just inside the hangar door and lugged it to the ship.

“What’s that?” asked Thyon.

“Gear for training.” Ruza huffed as he rolled the bag off his back into the door of the _Lady Spider_.

“We need gear for self-defense?”

“Of course” Ruza winked at Thyon.

_______________________________

Time seemed to be moving in a weird combination of slow and fast lately, Thyon thought as the ship landed. He had been so busy with the thoughts in his head that he barely remembered the flight. Ruza had even been quiet, and Ruza hardly ever stops talking. Thyon’s thoughts were a heady mix of excitement and nervousness, but he couldn’t imagine the warrior was nervous so Thyon wondered what _else_ was occupying his friend’s mind.

Ruza had been quiet during the flight not because of the kind of nervousness that Thyon was experiencing – the flirting yesterday had erased any remaining self-doubt. No, the worry that plagued Ruza was that he would lose his patience and just kiss the alchemist with abandon. It was becoming increasingly difficult for Ruza to string together coherent sentences and keep up with conversations in the presence of Thyon, when his body was a pool of desire and want. Ruza had surmised that Thyon had little experience with intimacy and so that last thing he wanted was to scare his crush off by attacking him in public. He was certain that Thyon would prefer privacy and he wasn’t about to embarrass the both of them with a lack of self-control.

Calixte landed the _Lady Spider_ in the agreed place – a field near the farm where their horses were stabled. She and Tzara wasted little time disembarking, both shouting goodbye as they ran off giggling.

Ruza grabbed the bag of gear and hefted it out of the ship. The suns rays were only just reaching out over the easterly mountain range so the air was still cool and crisp. Perfect weather for training. Although Ruza did take note of the dew covering the freshly shorn grass, he hoped it wasn’t slippery. He walked until he found a suitably flat area and turned to Thyon who wasn’t far behind. “This spot looks good. I think first I’ll assess your speed, reflexes, and general knowledge. Do Zosmian aristocrats get combat training?”

“Not exactly. We’re trained in dueling from a young age, so I know how to use this…” Thyon reached down to touch his dueling sword that was slung on his hip but instead he gasped. Before he had a chance to even register what was happening, Ruza was behind him and holding the point of Thyon’s sword gently against his neck. When Thyon’s brain caught up he realized that Ruza’s left arm was wrapped around his chest, holding his arm immobile while their bodies were pressed together. Thyon swallowed the words he was about to say and took a deep breath. His entire body tingled and heat pooled in his core.

“We need to work on your reflexes, alchemist,” Ruza breathed into his ear. “You’re much slower than I thought you’d be.” Ruza lowered Thyon’s sword and sheathed it. He released his hold on Thyon. He hadn’t realised how quickly his body would respond to being pressed close to the alchemist and Ruza didn’t want to spook him with his rapidly growing erection so he stepped back quickly.

Thyon stifled the whine that nearly left his lips when Ruza stepped back. He supposed he should have felt scared with a sword held at his neck but in that brief moment that Ruza’s body had been pressed against his own he felt like a puzzle that had been solved. His mind and body were so clouded with want and need and desire that he couldn’t put coherent thoughts together. “Well I wasn’t expecting you to… to attack me.” So much for witty responses.

Ruza tsked. “I did mention that I was going to test you, you shouldn’t have dropped your guard.”

“So you’re saying I should just constantly be on edge?” Thyon was getting flustered.

“No, not on edge. _Aware. Observant_. Let’s work on that.” Ruza walked over to the bag of gear and removed two heavy wooden staffs. “Here,” he said as he tossed one to Thyon. “You’re going to repeat some blocking maneuvers to work your core. I’m going to walk around you and try to knock you off balance with my staff but you are going to dodge and weave out of the way, not allowing my staff to make contact.” He flashed a wicked grin. “Every time you dodge, you get a point. Every time I make contact, I get a point.”

Thyon groaned. Of course it was a game. “Fine. Let’s play your game. What do I get if I win?”

“I have to do whatever you want for 10 minutes.” Ruza said playfully. “And if I win, you have to do whatever I say for 10 minutes.”

Thyon recognized that glint in Ruza’s eyes. They were flirting again. He smiled at Ruza and replied “Ok, but it cant be anything that can get us or anyone else hurt.”

“Deal. Now, watch carefully.” Ruza showed Thyon the blocking exercises he was supposed to do with the staff. There were 10 different ones so he went through them twice. “You’ll do 25 sets. Whoever has the most points after that wins. Unless it’s a tie, in which case whoever wins the next point is the winner.”

“Fine.” Thyon was halfway through his second set when Ruza thrust his staff at him from his right side. Thyon easily dodged.

“One point for you. Keep smirking because you wont always be able to see me.”

Thyon cursed. Of course he hadn’t thought of that. Although, if he was being honest with himself, he wouldn’t mind if Ruza won. He was curious to find out what the warrior would make him do. The blocking exercises were becoming easier to do and Thyon found he could devote more of his attention to watching Ruza. He dodged the warrior’s next three attempts.

Ruza was attacking from different angles, but all within Thyon’s direct line of sight. He was building Thyon’s confidence, hoping that the alchemist would get cocky and sloppy. After Thyon’s sixth set, he noticed the slightest difference in how high Thyon was able to lift the staff. He was getting tired. A thrill went through Ruza - his plan might just work. He already knew exactly what he would ask Thyon to do if he won; it involved watching the stars on the balcony that Ruza had insisted Lazlo make him a couple weeks ago.

Ruza’s fifth attempt came from the far corner of Thyon’s peripheral vision and he didn’t swerve in time. He quickly found himself on the ground and panting.

“That’s a point for me.” Ruza said it like he was already winning.

“I’m still three points ahead.” Thyon gritted out while he stood up.

“Not for long. Let’s go, start from the beginning.” Ruza flashed his mischievous grin.

Thyon restarted. He had nearly finished a set when he was unceremoniously toppled to the ground from behind.

“Two to four.” Ruza announced.

Thyon grumbled and got to his feet. This time as he went through the set of blocking exercise he moved his feet and turned to keep Ruza in front of him. He dodged Ruza’s next attempt. “Five to two. Where’s your grin now warrior?”

Ruza smiled at Thyon – there it is. There’s the cockiness he was hoping for. Ruza studied Thyon for the entire next set, watching for opportunities. Thyon failed to block the warrior’s next three attempts, but at least he hadn’t fallen over.

“Five to five and you’ve only got two more sets.” Ruza smiled smugly at Thyon and leisurely leaned on his staff. He was enjoying watching Thyon work up a sweat but he could tell that Thyon was reaching his limit and would be exhausted by the 25th set.

Meanwhile, Thyon was wishing that he wasn’t such a coward when it came to being shirtless. He knew that he would have to be when they went to the spas, but right now, his long sleeved shirt was drenched in sweat and he wished he were brave enough to take it off. It was during this internal conflict that Ruza saw his moment and jabbed his staff at Thyon’s thigh, making contact before Thyon could react.

“Six to five and you look exhausted.” Ruza was smiling like a kid in a candy shop.

“I yield – you win. I’m too tired to do the last set.” Thyon was panting and his body felt like jelly but he managed to set the staff down before crumpling to the ground. The grass was no longer wet with dew; the bright morning sun had burned it away. But the earth was still cool where Thyon lay and there was a fresh breeze blowing from the mountains.

Ruza sat down next to him and handed him a water canteen. Thyon thanked him then drank it greedily. He laid on his back in the low cut grass and closed his eyes until his breathing steadied. Thyon opened his eyes again when he heard Ruza rustling through his satchel.

“Do you want an apple?” Ruza asked him.

Thyon sat up quickly. “I’ve never wanted a piece of fruit so badly in my life,” he replied taking the apple from Ruza.

When they both finished their apples Ruza rifled through his satchel and brought out the small floral tin. “I’ve also got some almond pastries that Suheyla made this morning.”

Thyon made a muffled whimper noise that elicited a raised eyebrow from Ruza. “I would _love_ an almond pastry right now. You’re the best.”

Ruza laughed. “I’m glad we both agree on that. Pastries probably aren’t the healthiest post-training snack, but you only live once right?”

“A life without pastries is a sad life anyway. Who would choose to not eat them?”

“Fools, that's who.”

They devoured the pastries. The sounds of birds and insects filled the air and Thyon wondered how he hadn’t noticed it before. He chuckled to himself as he realised how right Ruza was. He’d had his head in the clouds these past two weeks; his brains’ sole occupation seemed to be his crush on Ruza. He wasn’t even disappointed with himself, in fact other than a bit of mild embarrassment for being caught off guard by Ruza, he was quite enjoying himself.

Thyon’s internal monologue was interrupted by a suspicious Ruza. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, um. I was just thinking about how the old me would have been so disappointed in myself for being soft and unfit. And this me… Well I don’t even care. Whatever else you had planned with that big bag of gear of yours… It’s not happening. I’m too sore.” Thyon lay back down and closed his eyes.

“Yeah I had figured that was the case when you flopped to the ground. You’ll feel better after taking a soak at the spas though. I’m sure it must be nearly time for Tzara and Calixte to appear and swap with us.”

Thyon looked at his watch. “It’s been two hours since they left.” He had no intention of moving until it was absolutely necessary.

Ruza got up, collected the staffs, and hefted the bag back towards the ship. He needed a distraction so he busied himself with sharpening his hreshteks. Sharpening his blades required focus and the repetitive motions were like meditation for Ruza, it never failed to calm him. He had just finished his right hreshtek when he saw two figures on horseback heading towards the stable.

“Hey Nero! They’re back! Did you want your satchel?” Ruza shouted in Thyon’s direction.

Thyon groaned loudly as he stood. “Yes!” he called back. He moved his arms around and tried to force them into functioning again while he waited.

Ruza handed Thyon his satchel and turned towards the stables. “Come on, let’s meet them.” His hand reached out and he nearly took Thyon’s hand in his own before he caught himself. Instead he adjusted his own bag as if it had been falling from his shoulder and quickened his walking pace.

Thyon watched his friend then blinked his eyes several times. Did Ruza just absent-mindedly reach for his hand? A soft smile played across his face as he thought about the two of them holding hands. He had already decided that he’d quite like to hold hands with Ruza, he just didn’t know how to get to that point. He quickly considered his options while walking to the stables and was no closer to a decision than he had been yesterday or the day before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Better a short chapter than no chapter! Sorry it's taken so long. Some life things are happening and my writing has stalled. Will hopefully be able to write more in the next couple weeks.


	7. He’s so gorgeous it’s literally a safety threat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thyon and Ruza go to the spa!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Upgraded the rating due to the language

The stables were a decent size, large enough to house 20 horses Thyon reckoned. Both the stables and the horses look well maintained, which was a surprise considering the state of the house that was visible in the distance. Thyon walked towards Calixte’s voice. She was speaking to a tall man in her own language. From the gestures they were making as they spoke, it looked as if they were exchanging instructions. The man was younger than Thyon had expected, not much older than himself, with pale blond hair and bronze skin. There was an odd familiarity about him in the way that he looked just like every farmer on Zeru, as if farmers in every dimension were cut from the same cloth. Calixte and Tzara handed him the reins of their horses while Ruza and Thyon looked around.

“This is Mikkel,” Calixte said in Amezrou. “Mikkel, dit is Thyon, en je hebt Ruza al ontmoet."

“Hallo,” Mikkel said to both of them.

“Hello, nice to meet you.” Thyon was pretty sure that Mikkel didn’t understand a word of Amezrou, but the he hoped his tone of voice indicated friendliness.

“Mikkel has already saddled two horses for you.” Calixte continued. “It’s those two over there,” she pointed at two stalls to their left that held dapple grey horses with the tags Vlekken and Onweder. “Vlekken is a mare and Onweder is a gelding. Ruza, do you remember how to get to the spas from here?”

“Of course.”

“Ok well there is a small pen at the spas that you can leave them in while you’re there. Mikkel knows to expect you back in about two hours time and will meet you here to take care of the horses. We’ll see you back at the _Lady Spider_.”

“Thanks Calixte. Oh, we promised to teach Sparrow and Feral how to ride. Can you ask Mikkel if he has a round pen we can use for a couple hours in the mornings starting tomorrow?” Thyon asked.

“Sure,” Calixte turned to Mikkel and spoke with him. There was a bit of back and forth before she turned back to Thyon and Ruza. “He doesn’t have a round pen as such, but he has a fenced-in field that he’s not using. He’ll show you where it is tomorrow.”

“Great, thanks for asking. We’ll see you later.”

“Have fun! Don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do.” Calixte winked at Thyon.

Both Thyon and Ruza laughed at that. “I’m sure that we’ll manage ourselves just fine.” Ruza turned to Thyon, “I’ll ride Onweder.”

“Fine with me,” Thyon replied. Of the two, Vlekken seemed to have a calmer countenance, which suited Thyon just fine. He walked over to Vlekken’s stall and said hello to the horse. Her coat was lighter than Onweder, with more white speckles, and her mane was nearly white as well. Grey horses were rare on Zeru, and yet here was a stable full of them. It had been years since he’d ridden a horse but as soon as he was back in the stable, it felt like it was yesterday. She walked over to greet him and he stroked her muzzle, talking to her kindly. He could hear Ruza talking to his horse as well. When Thyon was satisfied that Vlekken was used to his presence, he clipped the reins to her bridle and led her out of the stall. Mikkel gave him a thumbs-up and followed him outside.

Thyon mounted his horse and waited for Ruza to do the same. Once they were both ready they waved and said goodbye to Mikkel.

“Follow me,” Ruza said as he led them out of the farm. The well-worn path was wide enough for at least four horses and it cut straight across several miles of farmland before turning towards the mountains. Ruza was eager to get to their destination as soon as possible so he suggested that they speed up until they reach the forest that was just visible between the farms and the mountains. The path looked safe enough and the scenery was just boring pasture so Thyon agreed. They both nudged their horses from a walk to a trot and then to a canter.

Thyon relished the feel of the breeze while their horses were speeding towards the woods; his sweat-soaked shirt was even starting to dry. Once their horses were up to speed they both looked at each other and Ruza smirked. He hadn’t said anything but Thyon knew this was a race because everything with the warrior was a challenge, a game. Thyon nudged Vlekken to go faster and spoke words of encouragement to her; she was proving to be a swift and dependable steed. They edged past Ruza and Onweder and Thyon spotted the line of trees.

Onweder, it turned out, was not dependable. In fact, Ruza might have hesitated to choose him had he known that his name meant thunderstorm. The horse kept whipping its head side to side and was becoming increasingly difficult to ride. “Shit!” Ruza suddenly shouted as his horse hit the ground after making an unnecessary leap.

Thyon slowed Vlekken as fast as he could. He turned around to face Ruza and shouted, “Are you ok?”

“No!” Ruza yelled back with a pained look on his face. “Woah, Onweder, woah!” the horse slowed down to a walk and reached Thyon and Vlekken.

“What happened?” Thyon asked.

“This saddle doesn’t exactly fit me and this mess of a horse just jumped!” Ruza’s voice a mixture of anger and agony.

“So your…” Thyon’s voice trailed off and he looked at Ruza’s groin. “I mean… You got squashed by the saddle?”

Ruza was doubled over, gripping the saddle horn tightly. “Yes, my balls were smashed by the saddle.”

Thyon had his hand over his mouth trying to stifle his laughter, it would be impolite to laugh at Ruza but Thyon was finding it difficult to hide his response to Ruza’s crass words. “Do we need to go back? Or will you live?”

“We don’t need to go back. Let’s keep going.” Ruza gritted out.

“Ok,” Thyon replied then he nudged his thighs and clicked to get Vlekken moving again. “Do you want to hear some gossip about our favorite blue fire-starter?”

“Yes.” Ruza’s voice was still strained but he appreciated Thyon’s attempt to distract him.

“According to Sparrow, Ruby has spent the past three nights in Werran’s room.”

“Really? Even though she made a big show of being annoyed at him for saying she shouldn’t come down here?”

“Indeed. Although I suppose there are ways he could have made it up to her.”

“Nero, such dirty thoughts you have.” Ruza chuckled but then abruptly stopped. “Do you think she knows how babies are made? I mean it’s not like they got to go to school when they were growing up like the rest of us.”

“Oh… Oh no. I’m not sure.” Thyon said suddenly realizing the implications.

“Yeah… Maybe we should get Suheyla to speak to her? Just to check?”

“Good idea. I’ll let you do that since you offered.” Thyon smirked at Ruza.

“Thanks.” Ruza snorted. “Did you hear that Rook asked Sparrow to go to the spas with him? What do you think about them pairing off?”

“I wasn’t there so I’m not sure if he just got stuck at the end with no one else to ask. Did it look like he wanted to be paired with Sparrow?”

“His expression was neutral, so I’m not sure. Feral seemed quite happy that Kiska asked him though. And Ruby didn’t seem bothered at all about that – I guess I know why now.”

They gossiped while following the path as it weaved through a forest of giant tree ferns, Ruza’s voice slowly returning to normal. Thyon glanced at the warrior several times and was relieved when the pain wasn’t visible on his face anymore. There was a time when the subtleties of facial expressions were lost on Thyon, not so much because he couldn’t read them, more because he simply didn’t care what other people were thinking or feeling. Now, he cared a great deal about what the warrior was thinking and feeling and he spent an inordinate amount of time studying his face. He couldn’t help it he reasoned, there was a mysterious tug, like threads attached to his soul that compelled him. He wanted to know everything about Ruza.

The ground below them began to slowly slope downwards and although the slope was gradual, they slowed their horses out of an abundance of caution. Ruza especially had no interest in another mishap. The tree ferns were thinning and they could see the point up ahead where they stopped altogether. Large grey boulders were visible in the distance in what appeared to be a rocky outcrop.

“We’re not far off now,” Ruza announced when they had reached the nearest of the boulders. “See where the path flattens out again after those rock towers? Its just to the right.”

When they arrived at their destination the sun was high overhead and the temperature was several degrees hotter than when they had landed the _Lady Spider_. After they had left the tree fern forest behind, the landscape had drastically changed. The ground was no longer rich black soil, and instead was grey rock. There was very little vegetation at all in this area. At first Thyon thought that they were in a large valley, but then he looked at the rock they were riding over and saw fossils of sea creatures. They must be in a dried up lakebed or riverbed. He could see steam rising from cracks in the rocks and deduced that there must be geothermal springs all around them.

When they arrived at their destination, Ruza didn’t grimace when he dismounted so Thyon hazarded a check-in; he claimed he was fine. They left their horses in the pen and headed towards the cabin. It had a large wooden sign on the front with the words ‘Les Bulles Spa’ carved in decorative script. Ruza fished a key out of his satchel and opened the front door, then locked it behind them. They were in a foyer with a desk and a ledger. Ruza signed the ledger then led Thyon to the door on the left with a stick figure drawn on it.

“This door is for men.” He said as they walked through. “Clean towels are over there,” he pointed, “and dirty ones get left in the bin. There’s two changing rooms and one room with a water tap on the ceiling. You turn the tap on and water comes out like a waterfall. Apparently it’s how they wash themselves here. Anyway, we’re supposed to change into our swimming costumes, then wash before heading out to the pools by the blue door on the left. We can bring our stuff outside with us, there’s chairs and tables around the pools.” Ruza smiled at Thyon and headed to one of the changing rooms.

“Ok,” said Thyon, smiling back. The changing room was small, not much larger than their bedroom closets on the _Astral_. Thyon stripped off his sweaty clothes and put on the tiny, skin-tight shorts. He looked down at his arms and frowned. He had pushed all thoughts of his scars far down inside himself hoping that his insecurities would magically vanish but now that he was here, and it was time to leave the changing room, they all came crashing back to the overthinking part of his brain. He heard a whoosh and then a steady shhhh sound. Ruza must be using the ceiling waterfall. Out there, his crush was practically naked, and soaking wet, and yet here he stood, unable to move. Thyon took several deep breaths trying to soothe his nerves. He whispered to himself, “He likes me. He wants to see me naked. He’s seen my scars before. He likes me. He likes me. He likes me.”

The noise of cascading water stopped and Ruza shouted “Hey Nero, I’m going outside, I’ll see you there!”

“Ok!” Thyon waited until he heard the door close before venturing out to wash himself. When he was done he draped a towel across his shoulders and arms like a cape. He followed the path around the cabin and scanned the area for Ruza. Thyon stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted the warrior walking out on a wooden platform over what looked to be the largest pool. “Fuck me,” he said louder than he intended because the sight of Ruza in nothing but a skin-tight swimming costume was wreaking all sorts of havoc on Thyon’s mind and body. He should come with a warning label, thought Thyon. He’s so gorgeous it’s literally a safety threat. Are my hearts even still beating? He wondered. I could die now, and I’d die happy. No, scratch that. I don’t want to die yet. I want to touch him, taste him, _devour_ him. Thyon had to grab on to the nearest table as he watched Ruza dive off of the platform into the pool because his legs were faltering. Thyon had never seen a god before, but he was pretty sure that Ruza was descended from one. How else could one man look so perfect, like a sculpture of pure athleticism?

His reverie was broken when Ruza surfaced and shouted, “Hey Nero! Are you joining me or what?”

“Just trying to find the best place to leave my stuff!” he lied. More like trying to relearn how to be a properly functioning human now that my mind has been shattered into a million tiny pieces he thought.

Ruza swam to the edge of the pool and scanned his eyes up and down Thyon; he didn’t fail to notice the towel draped across the alchemist’s arms. His eyes drifted to Thyon’s face searching for signs of anxiety but instead he saw desire written plainly on his friend’s face. Their eyes met. Desire for him. Ruza smiled and then pointed at his stuff. “You can leave it over there with my stuff,” he said. If you take the stairs over there it’s shallow enough to walk. I’m going to do a couple laps.” And then he slipped under the water and was gone, like a fish.

Thyon slowly stumbled forward on shaky legs and set his stuff down on a chair next to Ruza’s stuff. Ruza was at the far end of the pool near a waterfall that Thyon hadn’t noticed before. Thyon headed towards the stairs that Ruza had directed him to and realised he still had a towel draped over his arms. He let it slip off his shoulders and set it on a table nearby, wincing only slightly at the sight of his scars. He hurried to get in the pool and under the water. Then he looked around, noticing his surroundings for the first time. All of the pools looked like they had either been carved out of the grey stone, or had exploded from the earth. Although the edges of the pools looked sharp, they were smooth to the touch, most likely from years of use by the locals. The steps into the largest pool were carved into the stone, wide, and gradual. The water was warm and soothing. Tree ferns in massive wooden boxes were dotted around the entire spa complex offering shade and a bit of privacy. Their silver green fronds rustled in the soft breeze.

Thyon waded along the edge of the pool until the water reached his shoulders and made his way towards stone seats that were carved into the side of the pool. The rhythmic splashes of Ruza swimming were just noticeable above the roaring of the waterfall. Once Thyon was seated he realised he felt more relaxed than he had been in a long while. This whole place had been meticulously crafted to induce calm and tranquility and it was working.

Thyon leaned back in his stone chair letting his legs and arms float in the warm water while he watched Ruza swim. The warrior was more than just a competent swimmer – he looked like he belonged in the water and Thyon was content to sit there watching him.

Ruza however, had noticed that Thyon was now sitting contentedly in the pool and he wanted to spend as much time as possible together so he swam to him and settled into the seat next the Thyon. “This is nice, isn’t it?” he asked as he leaned back.

“Mmm it is quite relaxing” Thyon answered, his voice soft. “Its better than I thought it would be.” He had glanced at Ruza momentarily but then swiftly turned to stare straight ahead at the waterfall. Rivulets of water were streaming down from Ruza’s dark, wavy, and very wet hair across his gorgeous brown skin and it was quite possibly the hottest thing Thyon had ever seen. He racked his brain for diverting topics of conversation; topics that would not arouse him further and lead to mortal embarrassment. “So what are the other pools like? Did you get a proper tour of this place?”

“We did. The smaller ones are all slightly different. There’s one that’s really hot, one that’s warm and bubbly, and one that’s warm and bubbly and bright red. The red is from the minerals in it or something. There’s another waterfall tap of cold water and they said you’re supposed to rinse off in the cold and then get in one of the warmer pools. But before we try the other pools I think we should get some floaty rings and sit on them in this one.”

“Sit on them?”

“Yeah I saw people doing it when we were here. Looked fun.”

“But what if I fell off? Isnt this pool quite deep? I can’t swim.”

“First of all we can get on in the shallow end, second I wouldn’t let you drown.”

“Ok.” Thyon wasn’t convinced but he was finding it impossible to say no to Ruza lately. “In a bit. Let’s relax here a bit longer.”

“Ok,” Ruza sat back and watched the waterfall, content in the company of his friend.

Thyon was the first to speak again after some time. “So how do you know how to swim? The Uzumark looked far too dangerous for anyone to swim in, let alone learn how to swim.”

“Yeah no one swims in the Uzumark, it’s a deathtrap. I learned to swim when I was two years old according to my parents. There’s a bathing house not far from my parents house, with pools like this, only much larger. My father and older brother used to go and one day my mother was busy helping a neighbor so they brought me too. Apparently I loved it and threw a tantrum when it was time to leave. They brought me back the next time they went and my father and his friends taught me to swim for my own safety. I loved the water so much that they called me little fish.” Ruza’s face was soft and he smiled at the memory. He missed his family and he wished that Thyon could meet them.

“Little fish huh? I bet you were adorable.”

“What do you mean “were”? I’m still adorable.” Ruza pouted.

Thyon laughed. “You’re a menace is what you are.”

“An adorable menace.”

Thyon sighed with fake exasperation. “Yes fine. An adorable menace.”

“Be right back,” Ruza said and vaulted over the side of the pool and walked quickly towards the wooden platform. He grabbed two of the rubber rings from under the platform and tossed them into the pool before hopping back in. “It’s time to figure these out.”

Thyon furrowed his brows. The rings themselves did float, but as to how one would get on top of it, he didn’t know.

Ruza must have seen his skeptical look because he dragged his ring to the shallow end and said “I think if the water is low enough we can just sit on them.” When the water was waist high on him he tried to jump on the ring, but it slipped out from under him and he crashed into the water with a giant splash.

Thyon was laughing so heartily when Ruza surfaced that he nearly did it again on purpose just because the sight of a joyful Thyon lit up his world. It was sunshine incarnate: glorious, and warm, and delightful. Ruza’s second heart purred in response and it felt like his spirit was practically glowing in his veins; he felt effervescent and alive and it was addictive.

Ruza grinned the dopiest most love-struck grin that Thyon had ever seen and for a moment the two of them just stared at each other grinning like fools. Finally, Thyon said “I think you need to try it again in shallower water.”

Ruza was more successful on his second attempt. Now floating on the ring he used his hands to paddle and propel himself forward. “Your turn,” he crooned.

Thyon waded to the shallow end and he was so focused on not falling off the ring that he didn’t think once about the scars on his arms. He managed to sit on the ring the first time without issue. “Now what?” he asked.

“Try paddling with your hands like this – can you get to me?” Ruza responded making paddling motions as if Thyon was a child.

Thyon grunted and started paddling.

Ruza watched Thyon – it wasn’t long before Ruza’s curiosity got the better of him and he chanced a glance at Thyon’s arms while his friend was otherwise occupied. The scars went from his forearms all the way to the tops of his upper arms where they met with his shoulders. The precision of size and spacing of the scars was no surprise; Ruza already knew that Thyon was a chronic perfectionist. They didn’t at all detract from Thyon’s beauty; in fact, in a weird way Ruza thought they suited him. He needed Thyon to know that he was attracted to all of him, scars and all, but today was not the day to bring it up because Thyon had been completely clear about his discomfort with showing his scars and talking about them factored into that.

Ruza looked at the distance that remained between them and could tell that Thyon was traveling with enough momentum to knock them both off their rings. As soon as he was within reach Ruza pushed his hands against Thyon’s ring to slow him down. “Nero! You nearly took us both out!” he reprimanded.

Thyon laughed because there was no bite to Ruza’s words. “Sorry,” he said but he didn’t look sorry because he was still laughing. 

Thyon’s joy was positively infectious. “Alright you speed demon,” Ruza grinned, “If you think you’re so fast lets see who can make it to the waterfall first.”

“You’re on, warrior.” They both spun their rings so they were facing the waterfall. “Count to three?”

“One, two, three!” Ruza shouted and they were off.

They both thrashed about at first, each trying to propel their ring faster. But they were were finding it difficult to paddle with any sort of ferocity while laughing and looking at each other. They realized they looked like childish fools and reveled in the ridiculousness of it. Neither of them was trying very hard to win and they reached the waterfall at the same time. Then Ruza grabbed Thyon’s hand and propelled the both of them under the waterfall. They emerged on the other side laughing and sputtering.

Thyon used his free hand to push his hair out of his eyes. He figured Ruza would do that so he was prepared for the blast of water and was glad neither of them had tipped over. “You’re so predictable sometimes.” His voice echoed a bit against the stone since they were behind the waterfall.

Ruza was using his free hand to grip the rocks and pull them along the wall so they wouldn’t have to go through the water again. “Only because you know me so well.” Ruza looked at Thyon out of the corner of his eye and smirked.

Thyon smirked back. When they where beyond the waterfall Ruza propelled them forward with a push away from the wall. “I do know you well,” Thyon said softly then he adjusted his hand in Ruza’s and threaded their fingers together. Now that they were finally holding hands he didn’t plan to let go anytime soon.

They both leaned back and watched the ferns swaying in the wind while they floated along, holding hands. They stayed like that for many minutes, enjoying each other’s company. It’s amazing how life suddenly feels less oppressive, less daunting when you’re holding hands. Thyon had only recently discovered physical affection, and he still felt a bit awkward about it, but he had an entirely new understanding of why couples were so tactile with each other. He was beginning to think that the courses he took on biology were woefully lacking since the benefits of physical affection hadn’t been mentioned once.

Thyon’s musings on the biological benefits of hand-holding were cut short when Ruza began rubbing his thumb in circles on the inside of Thyon’s palm. Thyon’s breath hitched. It was a tiny gesture, but it felt so very intimate. The kind of gesture that stops hearts and starts fires. Thyon was ready to hold hands in public, he had been for a while. He was ready for little touches, and hugs, and maybe even kisses. But he was not ready for a full on erection in public, so when he felt his body start to respond to Ruza he panicked. He looked at the clock and said, “We’ve only got about 30 minutes left, do you want to try one of the other pools?”

Ruza had felt Thyon’s arms go tense and he stopped moving his thumb. He had thought that Thyon liked it at first, but judging from his reaction it was too much. He smiled softly at Thyon and gently squeezed his hand, trying to convey the message that he was sorry. Ruza was relieved when Thyon gently squeezed back. “Sure,” he replied looking around and down. “I think we’re in the shallow area. I’ll check.” He let go of Thyon’s hand and slipped off the ring. His feet hit solid rock before his head went under water. “I can touch the bottom.”

“Ok.” Thyon sat up and the ring moved with him so that it was vertical in the water and the top of it smacked against his shoulders. He pushed it away as he hopped off. He wasn’t fully on his feet before he noticed Ruza laughing at him.

“Well that was an interesting way to get off.”

Thyon laughed as well, trying to force away the last remaining vestiges of his panic. “Come on,” he urged as he started wading towards the stairs.

“Which one do you want to try?” Ruza asked as they were grabbing their towels and walking towards the smaller pools.

“The bubbly one?”

“Sure. Are we going to do this properly and stand under the cold waterfall first, or is your aristocratic skin too sensitive for that?” Ruza knew exactly how to push Thyon’s buttons and he had decided that he’d rather his friend be annoyed than panicked.

For his part, Thyon knew exactly what Ruza was doing and refused to give him the haughty and pompous reaction he was trying to elicit. Instead, he smirked flirtatiously and responded, “You’re the one that grew up in a temperate climate next to a desert. Have you ever even experienced a proper winter? I bet you’d moan the entire time about how cold it is.” He stalked towards the cold waterfall taps – there were two of them and he intended to make Ruza squirm. “Come on then, lets do this. And then we’ll see who lasts the longest.”

Ruza knew that he was giving Thyon a goofy, love-struck grin again, but he didn’t care. He was so hopelessly in love with the beautiful man standing before him. He especially loved how _playful_ the alchemist had become; their flirty back and forth, challenging and teasing each other was like water or air or food – necessary for life. It used to be much easier to provoke Thyon; any amount of teasing would elicit an asshole response. Lately the opposite seemed to be true as if Thyon had spent his entire life’s quota for being an asshole and there was nothing left but fun. Ruza shook his head and summoned every ounce of confidence he had in him “I’m a trained warrior, of course I’ll last longer than you, alchemist.”

They were each standing below a showerhead, grinning at each other with hands poised ready to turn the knob. “On three,” Thyon announced. “One, two, three!” They stood facing each other, both turned their taps at the same time and water rushed out from above. At first it was warm, but it gradually cooled until it felt like ice. Thyon started shaking his arms as if that would somehow warm himself up. Both had moved their heads out from the spray because it was now painfully cold.

“Oh fuck this is cold!” Ruza shouted about a minute after they had turned the taps on.

Thyon’s teeth were chattering. “What if we both turn our waterfalls off at the same time?”

“On the count of three?”

“Yes!”

“One, two, three!” The water stopped and both of them were jumping up and down and making noises to try and get some feeling back in to their frozen limbs. “The bubble pool is just there, let’s go!” Ruza didn’t even bother to see if Thyon agreed, he practically ran over to the pool and got in.

Thyon wasn’t far behind. He sat across from Ruza and both men closed their eyes and sighed as the warmth permeated their bodies. The pool was a small circle with a bench-style seat all the way around. It was large enough for four small people, but Thyon would have felt uncomfortably close if there had been any more people in it. He scooted forward and sunk his shoulders below the water to get the maximum warmth. The bubbles seemed to be coming out of small holes in the floor and sides and they were louder than he expected. He felt Ruza’s legs brush against the outside of his own legs so he opened his eyes and saw that the warrior had placed his feet on the bench on either side of Thyon.

“You’re certainly brave,” Thyon said to Ruza playfully.

“What do you mean?” Ruza asked as he felt Thyon’s hands brush against his shins. This was the first time that Thyon had initiated physical contact and Ruza was doing a poor job of hiding his delight.

“Are your feet ticklish?” Thyon asked as his fingers brushed circles around Ruza’s ankles.

“A little. Maybe.”

“What’s to stop my fingers from exploring the limbs you have placed so close to me then?”

“Well, one, I trust you. And two, if you do I’m likely to thrash about and drown. So unless you want our relaxing morning to turn deadly, I’d refrain from tickling me.”

Thyon pouted but he also stopped tracing idle patterns into Ruza’s ankles. “Fine, I’ll stop. But I shall not be so kind should we find ourselves in a similar position outside of water.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” Ruza stretched his arms over his head and then sunk deeper into the water closing his eyes. “How long do you think it will take us to dry off and get changed? I want to stay here for the maximum amount of time.”

“Ten maybe fifteen minutes if we’re quick about it.” Thyon replied. He could just about see the nearest clock and figured they had about 10 minutes until they needed to head back to the cabin to change. As much as he would like to stay with Ruza, he felt like he was overheating now that the sun was directly overhead. He tapped Ruza’s shins to get his attention. “It’s a bit too warm for me. I’m going to rinse off under the cold waterfall and sit on a lounge chair.”

“Ok.” Ruza pulled his legs towards himself and watched Thyon get out of the pool. Even though he knew what his body’s reaction would be, he couldn’t help himself from staring blatantly at the alchemist until Thyon had rounded a corner and was no longer visible. He replayed the vision of Thyon’s lean muscular backside in his head briefly, hoping that it wouldn’t be long until he saw it again. Then he tried to think of less sexy things like cleaning the kitchen and horseback riding so that he’d be able to leave the pool.

Thyon, having sufficiently cooled off from the quick shower, settled himself on a lounge chair while he drank the last of his water from his canteen. He was hungry and sleepy and looking forward to getting back to the _Astral_ for lunch and a nap. He felt like it was eons ago that he had walked out of that cabin worrying about his scars. But it had only been just over an hour and in that time he had repeatedly caught Ruza staring at him with desire. He shook his head, feeling slightly foolish for ever having doubted that the warrior would like him less after seeing more of him. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Ruza yawning loudly from behind him.

“I hope Calixte or Tzara is going to fly us back because I could use a nap.” Ruza yawned again as he grabbed his towel and his bag.

“The flight is shorter than the horse-ride back to the stable. I’m so tired I’m going to take a proper nap after lunch.” Thyon gathered his things and walked towards the cabin. “You can use the indoor waterfall if you want, I’ve already rinsed off and I’m nearly dry now.”

“Mkay,” he replied.

“You need to wake up,” Thyon said sternly as they entered the cabin. “Your horse is too unpredictable for you to ride it half asleep.”

“Yes, yes, I know, I will.” Ruza headed towards the shower while Thyon entered the changing room.

Thyon changed quickly and shouted at Ruza’s door, “I’ll meet you at the horses.” He heard a muffled “Ok” so he headed back outside.

The horses had food, water, and shade, but they looked a bit bored when Thyon arrived at the small pen. He called Vlekken and she came straight away, thrusting her muzzle into Thyon’s hands. He obliged her, scratching all the way up to her ears. It wasn’t long before Ruza joined him, and they mounted their horses and were on their way. Neither of them said much until they reached the edges of the farmland as both were fighting to stay awake.

“The faster we go, the faster we’ll be back,” Ruza said as soon as they left the forest.

“Ok, careful though.” Thyon replied.

They managed to make it back to the stables without incident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently I've really decided to run with this idea of the residents of De Aarde speaking Flemish and French as if they're all descended from Belgian explorers.


	8. Well that answers that question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever since Thyon realized he was attracted to a guy, he’s been worrying himself with the same question. His subconscious provides an answer in a lucid dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has some very NSFW content. If that's not your thing then FYI it starts around paragraph 4 and ends when Thyon says "Well that answers that question."

Thyon was back in his room. Lunch had been a quick affair; both him and Ruza had rapidly eaten the food that was left for them in kitchen due to their sleepiness. The flight back to the _Astral_ had also felt blissfully short. Calixte and Tzara had been unusually quiet and Thyon and Ruza had snuggled with each other in their seats, half-asleep. He had just over 4 hours until Calixte’s birthday dinner and Thyon desperately needed a nap so he shucked off his sweaty clothes and climbed into bed. He fell asleep minutes later.

Thyon’s conscious mind tugged at him, as if he was waking up. But when he opened his eyes he was back at the spa in the warm bubble pool with Ruza. The first thing he noticed was the sky had big puffy white clouds and a strong breeze was making the tree ferns sing. The second thing he noticed was that he was completely naked; he suspected Ruza was too. Finally, the water wasn’t as hot as he remembered. This isn’t right he thought, this is not how it happened. I’m dreaming. I must be. He had never had a lucid dream before, but he knew that they existed, or at least that people claimed they existed. And now he was in one.

He looked across at the warrior in front of him, Ruza looked peaceful and his eyes were still closed. Thyon smiled – this is my fantasy, he thought, I might as well enjoy it.

Ruza’s feet were on either side of Thyon, resting on the bench. Thyon started tracing patterns along Ruza’s shins and ankles, his fingertips barely grazing the skin. He saw Ruza gasp, then smile. When he opened his eyes, the flecks of green were more prominent than they’d ever been and the amber was lit up like molten gold. Ruza’s stare was full of lust and intent. Thyon continued tracing circles around Ruza’s ankles and when Ruza closed his eyes, tipped his head back and _moaned_ something inside Thyon snapped. He felt wild and on fire.

Thyon desperately needed Ruza to be closer to him, so because this was a dream he reached out for Ruza’s hands and pulled the warrior over. Thyon blinked and Ruza was practically in his lap, straddling him, and he was definitely completely naked. Thyon struggled to suppress his own moan as he cupped Ruza’s face, brushing the pads of his thumbs across the warrior’s cheeks searching Ruza’s face for any signs of hesitation. He knew this was a dream, and of course fantasy Ruza wants this, but somehow it still felt important to Thyon to check. Ruza’s hazel eyes were wild with desire, he nodded his head as if knowing what Thyon was asking and then they crashed together. Ruza’s lips were soft and warm. The kiss was slow and soft, as if the both of them wanted to commit every second to memory. Ruza’s hands were tangled up in Thyon’s hair and his scalp felt tingly from Ruza’s touch. Thyon let has hands drift down Ruza’s back to his waist and he pulled Ruza even closer to him. He didn’t know exactly what he wanted he just knew he wanted more.

Ruza pulled away and kissed Thyons cheek. He trailed kisses along Thyons neck, licking and nipping as he moved his lips towards his ear. His teeth grazed his earlobe and then he whispered, “You’re so fucking gorgeous. Can I touch you?”

“Yes,” Thyon breathed. “Please…” And then Ruza’s hands were everywhere all at once as if he didn’t know what to touch first and he ground his hips into Thyon and he sucked on his earlobe. He could feel Ruza’s hard cock pressing up against his own erection and it felt amazing. They were both breathing heavily now and every noise Ruza made, every gasp or moan sent shivers down Thyon’s spine.

Thyon’s mind went completely blank. There was no room for thought, only desire, desire for Ruza. He needed to touch more of Ruza, to explore and feel more of him so he moved his hands to Ruza’s ass and squeezed, he could feel Ruza’s muscles ripple as Ruza pushed his hips into Thyon again. A low moan escaped Thyon’s lips when he felt Ruza’s cock against his own again. It felt simultaneously incredible and yet not enough.

The next instant Ruza’s lips were against his and they were kissing again. This time it was deep and urgent; Ruza’s hand was grasping the back of his head pulling him deeper and deeper into the kiss. Thyon opened his mouth and Ruza’s tongue came crashing in. He tasted delicious.

As they kissed, Ruza’s hips continued their rhythmic movements, pushing himself against Thyon. Thyon felt overwhelmed with desire. Every cell in his body was vibrating. It felt like lightning was coursing through him. His hands were still on Ruza’s ass and he gripped harder, pulling Ruza closer with every thrust. Thyon broke their kiss this time and breathlessly moaned, “More.”

Ruza reached down and stroked him slowly, teasingly. Thyon gasped and babbled incoherently about how good it was into Ruza’s neck. They were pressed together, chest to chest and cheek to cheek, panting and moaning. Thyon had never felt so debauched nor so alive.

“I need you inside of me,” Ruza growled into Thyon’s ear, his voice rough and raspy. “I need you to fuck me. Right. Now.”

“Oh fuck yes. Oh please. Yes.” Thyon moaned as Ruza lifted himself up and positioned Thyon’s hard cock right at his entrance.

Thyon woke up with a start. He must have moaned in real life, loud enough to wake himself.

“Well that answers that question,” he said aloud to himself. And ‘that question’ was the question that he had been asking himself since he realized he was attracted to Ruza. Did he want to have sex? Could he have sex with another man? Would he want to have sex with Ruza? He thanked his subconscious for showing his conscious self that the answer was an emphatic yes. Yes to Ruza.

Just because Thyon was a virgin didn’t mean he was ignorant. He had known that there was more than one way to have sex since he was a teenager; in fact, this _particular_ way of having sex was a favorite among the young Zosmian aristocracy since it did not result in pregnancy. At the time he hated having to feign interest when the other boys described in minute detail all of the sexual things they had done and with whom, as if it was some sort of contest. But at least it meant that he had an idea of the various different things one _could_ do. He only needed a bit of his own imagination to figure out what two men likely did together.

He looked around his room, briefly worried that he had woken up because he wasn’t alone, but there was no one else there. He was drenched in sweat and desperately needed a bath, but first he should probably take care of his erection. He must have been dreaming for some time because it didn’t take long.

He glanced at his clock to check the time; he had been asleep for two hours. He lay there replaying his dream in his mind for a while letting his racing hearts calm down to a more steady beat. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to go from nothing to everything all in one go, dream Thyon seemed to know what he was doing, maybe he had dropped in on a fantasy that occurred after all the beginning stuff. He was pretty sure he had gotten some details wrong, being inexperienced as he was. But he didn’t really care, he was just so relieved to have finally decided that he was all in. Completely and totally in to Ruza. No hesitation.

While he was washing in the bath he wondered if Ruza was having sex dreams about him. Or fantasies, whatever you wanted to call them. Maybe one day he’d be brave enough to ask. It was then that he decided that fantasies just weren’t enough anymore. As much as he enjoyed his ridiculously hot dream, he wanted the real thing now more than ever. He decided that someway, somehow, he was going to kiss Ruza tonight.

____________________________________

Ruza was indeed having fantasies and sex dreams about Thyon. In fact his brain was so addled with lust he was surprised he had managed to make it back to the _Astral_ and have lunch without attacking Thyon. He had barely said a word to anyone after the spa because he was too busy thinking about Thyon in those tiny, oh so tight swimming shorts standing under the outdoor waterfall. He had needed to pleasure himself both before and after he took a nap and then he needed a cold bath before he felt the fog of desire lift from his brain. He couldn’t very well go to the gallery and have dinner with everyone when he lacked the capacity for intelligent speech. Or even just speech of any kind. So he busied himself with tidying his room and making it look as perfect as possible expecting that he would be spending some time alone with Thyon in here, tonight.

Ruza opened the curtains to his balcony hoping for a fresh breeze. The sun hadn’t set yet so unfortunately it was still quite warm, even though the _Astral_ was high up in the sky. The skies had remained clear though, there wasn’t a cloud to be seen in any direction, so he was optimistic that the stars would be clearly visible after dark. He needed Feral to call a snowstorm for the ice soon, so he left his room and headed towards Feral’s room, making a mental note to remember to grab two of the nice crystal wine glasses when he went to the kitchen to get the champagne. He had initially felt weird divulging parts of his plan to Feral, but it turned out that Feral made an excellent accomplice, taking care of a couple of things for Ruza while they were at the spa so that Thyon wouldn’t notice. Everything was slotting perfectly into place and he found himself wishing to skip ahead in time by a few hours so that he could initiate his plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruza is plotting! Will it all go to plan?


	9. Happy Birthday Calixte

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew of the Astral has their first birthday celebration since leaving Zeru.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter so far but I didn't want to split up the party.

Now that Thyon had decided to do something about his feelings for Ruza, his anxiety was on overdrive and he needed to talk to someone sensible. Sparrow was in the garden gathering flowers and arranging them into two vases when Thyon found her. She was wearing a dress that Thyon hadn’t seen before; it was dark green, sleeveless, with a shallow v-neck and a slightly flowy skirt. The dress combined with her hairstyle, soft curls piled on top of her head, made her look older, more woman than child.

“Hi Sparrow,” Thyon said entering the calm of the garden. “You look good! That dress suits you.”

“Hey Thyon! Thanks! Suheyla made each of us a nice dress to wear on special occasions. How was the spas? I want to hear all about it! Here can you cut these down to size?” Sparrow handed him the gardening shears and went back to arranging the flowers in the vases. Typical of Sparrow to be gardening even in a fancy dress.

Thyon started cutting the stems of the flowers that were lined up. “It was good. I was worried it would be just like taking a bath, and therefore kind of boring, but it wasn’t anything like that. It was very relaxing for me. Ruza enjoyed it because he got to swim, which he is surprisingly good at.”

“Was it romantic?” She pressed.

“Hmm. I’m not sure I would describe it that way… There were lots of tree ferns in massive boxes and the whole area was grey rock, possibly basalt, which would explain the geothermal pools. The largest pool had a waterfall, but I’m not sure how since there wasn’t a river in sight.”

“Uh, no silly,” Sparrow chuckled. “Thanks for that very technical description. But I meant did anything happen between you and Ruza?”

“Ohhh.” Thyon rubbed the back of his neck, thinking. “Well we flirted a bit. I caught him staring at me with lust in his eyes more than a few times. To be honest I was probably staring at him a lot too considering we were wearing so little clothing… We held hands at one point.” Thyon sighed and cut the last of the flowers that were on the table.

“No kissing?” Sparrow asked as she finished the flower arrangements.

“No, no kissing.” Thyon sighed again. “I’m not sure what’s holding us back. I used to think it was because he didn’t realize I liked him. But that’s clearly not the case anymore. I don’t think its because he doesn’t want to. It seems like he wants to.”

“If you want to kiss him, why not just, kiss him yourself?”

“That’s my new plan. For tonight. But I can’t figure out how I’m going to get him alone. I don’t want to do it in front of everyone. Any ideas?”

“If you wait until tonight, when the party is in full swing and people are drinking and playing games, then I bet no one would notice if you two slipped away. You could just tell him you want to talk to him alone and take him to your room?” Sparrow shrugged. “You might be asking the wrong person for advice. You know I have zero experience with these kinds of things.”

“Yeah but other than Ruza, you’re my closest friend. I wouldn’t really talk about this kind of stuff with anyone else.” Thyon smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Sparrow smiled back and bumped her shoulder against Thyon. “You’re one of my closest friends too.”

“Even if you’re not sure what kind of advice to give, at least you didn’t say my half-assed plan was foolish.” Thyon felt his shoulders relaxing, the tension easing. He liked that he could talk to Sparrow or Suheyla or Ruza about nearly anything and come away feeling better, less anxious. A year ago if someone had said that some of his closest friends would be women he’d have laughed himself senseless.

“Not foolish at all. Help me carry these to the gallery?” Sparrow picked up one of the completed floral arrangements and left the other for Thyon.

“Of course.”

They made their way into the gallery where Rook, Ruby, and Werran were hanging decorations. Well, Rook and Werran were hanging decorations, and Ruby was ordering them around. There was excitement in the air; everyone was bustling about getting ready for the party. It looked like everyone had made an effort to dress a bit nicer than usual, which made today feel that much more special.

“Where do you want this?” Thyon queried Sparrow.

“I was thinking we could fit both of them on the table? As decoration?” She answered.

“Sure.” Thyon said, setting his vase down. He looked around the gallery, there were small flags of colored paper on strings hung all around. The paper flags were thin and the glavelight was shining through them giving the room a warm, colorful, dappled glow, much like the sunlight filtering through different colored leaves in autumn. He’d never seen anything like it before and wondered if it was a tradition in Amezrou or somewhere else.

“Where did these flags come from?” he asked Ruby. Sparrow waved goodbye to Thyon as she headed towards the kitchen.

“We made them when you lot were down on De Aarde. We had to do something to keep busy. Suheyla showed us how. Tzara said that they’re normally only done for kids birthdays but Suheyla insisted that since most of us haven’t had a _proper_ birthday party that we had to do them.” Ruby shrugged and handed Werran more flags. Not that she would admit it to anyone, but Ruby enjoyed learning things from Suheyla. It turned out having a real live grandma who radiated warmth and caring was a thousand times better than ghosts who were compelled to care. In fact, Ruby had made the ruby-red dress that she was wearing after Suheyla had showed her how with the dresses for the other girls.

“Didn’t you have birthday decorations in Zosma?” Rook asked Thyon as he looped a string around one of the hooks in the wall.

“Not at any parties I ever attended. Everything in Zosma was prim, proper, rigid, and utterly boring.” Thyon handed Rook the next string of flags. “Have you ever had a birthday party?”

“Nope. We weren’t allowed to celebrate anything in the citadel and afterwards with Nova we were always on the move and fighting. I didn’t even know when my birthday was until we found Skathis’ ledger,” Rook explained. “I think we’ve all been looking forward to this.” He winked at Thyon and smiled. Thyon smiled back, despite wondering why Rook had winked at him.

Was it some kind of secret that they were all looking forward to their first birthday party aboard the _Astral_? He didn’t have too much time to ponder since Lazlo and Ruza turned up in the gallery with their arms full of glaves.

At the sight of Ruza Thyon could swear that his hearts stopped – it should honestly be illegal to look that sexy because at this rate Thyon would be dead by the end of the week. He was wearing a fitted black shirt and black trousers, which on anyone else might have looked boring, but on Ruza’s muscular body looked divine. Considering that Thyon was drinking up the sight of Ruza like they were the only ones in the room, he didn’t expect to find the look of pure annoyance across Ruza’s face so Thyon headed towards him. “Need a hand?” he asked. 

“Sure,” Lazlo and Ruza said simultaneously. “Here take these and go with Ruza to the games room.” Lazlo handed Thyon two glaves. “I’ll hang these ones in here. I’ve already made new sconces in the walls.”

Thyon took two more glaves from Ruza and they headed down the corridor. “Everything ok?” he asked when they were out of earshot of everyone in the gallery.

“Yeah fine. Why?” Ruza grumbled.

“You looked annoyed.”

“I was just struggling to carry all of these glaves. That’s all.” Ruza hated lying to Thyon. It felt fundamentally _wrong_. But he didn’t think that any explanation he could give to his friend would make sense because his feelings weren’t logical. He tried to put all of his bad feelings into a box deep inside and focus on the party.

Thyon was pretty sure that Ruza was lying, but he decided not to press. Ruza would talk if he wanted to. Instead he crooned, “You clean up well for a savage warrior you know.”

“Glad to hear that I pass inspection. You, of course, look good in everything. But don’t let it make you arrogant.” Thyon relaxed upon hearing the playfulness return to Ruza’s voice. The part that Ruza had omitted, but only just, was that blue was his favorite color on Thyon because it brought out the color of his eyes, and the marine blue that Thyon was wearing tonight brought out the little specks of green that he hadn’t noticed before. The effect was entrancing.

“I’ll try,” Thyon laughed heartily as they entered the games room. He looked around and breathed “Wow.” There were flower garlands all around the room and a big sign that said ‘Happy birthday Calixte’ above the fireplace. Inside the fireplace there was a vase with bright orange and red flowers spilling out of it, looking very much like abstract flames. Next to the fireplace was a table with all of the wrapped gifts stacked neatly; Suheyla had added the one from the two of them to the pile. There were cushions from what looked like the sofas in the map room on the floor around the fireplace. “This looks great. Do you think we’ll do this for everyone’s birthdays?”

“I’m sure Suheyla will insist. You know how she likes to fuss.” Ruza replied as they placed their glaves in the new sconces.

“I like her fussing.” It was Suheyla that had insisted on all of this, and no one had argued against it because if they were being honest with themselves, birthday parties sounded like a lot of fun. First they drew up a birthday calendar and added everyone’s names to it. Then she said that they had to have a party, and the birthday person gets to choose what they eat for dinner and what kind of cake they get, in Calixte’s case, she opted for pastries instead of cake. And finally, they all had to give gifts to the birthday person. She had explained that the gifts could be handmade, like food or books. Or they could be something they bought or traded on the worlds they visited. People could go in together to make or get the gifts. And they must be wrapped in decorated paper or paper bags. She had promised to help anyone that needed it with this last part. Thyon couldn’t wait to see what everyone got Calixte; he was glad that her birthday was the first on the calendar because him and Suheyla had come up with the gift idea quite easily, but he wasn’t really sure what he would do for some of the others.

Sarai appeared in the doorway, she was wearing a dress similar to Sparrow’s but hers was a dark violet color. “Is everything all set in here? Dinner’s about to start.”

“Yeah, we’re done here,” Ruza confirmed. “Nice job with the sign by the way.” Ruza and Thyon followed Sarai out of the games room and down the corridor.

“Thanks! Now that we have paper and pencils and paints I’ve been working on my writing.” Sarai grinned sheepishly. “How was the spas?”

“Nice, relaxing.” Thyon reported. He gave a knowing smile to Ruza then elbowed the warrior in the side and said, “This one is more fish than human. He’s an expert swimmer.”

“Oh, really?” Sarai turned her head to briefly look at them. “I don’t think many of us know how to swim. You might get roped in to accompanying everyone if that’s the case.”

The three of them entered the gallery to the sounds of excited chatting and laughter. They had all agreed to not change the seating just for birthdays, so Calixte was sitting at her usual place wearing a flower crown and a lavender blouse. To the surprise of no one, Calixte and Tzara had opted for feminine tailored suits instead of dresses and they looked fantastic. Thyon, Ruza, and Sarai took their seats as Kiska, Feral, and Suheyla entered the room with the food.

While everyone was served Calixte explained that they were having stoofvlees, a kind of meat stew, with frites, or potatoes cut into sticks and fried. She wasn’t sure they had all the ingredients on the _Astral_ , but it turned out there was a similar dish on De Aarde and she was able to find everything at a market after the tour. The gallery went quiet and for a few minutes the only sounds were of forks and knives clinking on ceramic dishes. Thyon was enjoying the stew and he discovered that fried potatoes were tastier than they had any right being.

Lazlo broke the silence first. “This was a great choice, Calixte, it’s all delicious.”

Calixte had a smug look on her face, but she responded with, “Suheyla and Kiska cooked everything to perfection, I can only take credit for the idea.”

With that people started thanking the cooks and the gallery was filled with the sounds of chatter and laughing once more. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and behaving themselves and Thyon was glad for it. Even Ruza’s mood had improved dramatically once they started eating. They normally never managed to get through a meal with all 14 of them without a single argument. Even Minya looked relaxed for once and had given Calixte a small smile when she wished her ‘Happy birthday.’

Thyon found himself discussing the merits of frying starchy foods with Ruza, Sparrow, and Tzara, and they debated which other foods might taste as good as potatoes if they fried them. It was a friendly debate, all smiles and banter, and with the extra glaves Thyon could see how Ruza’s eyes practically sparkled with joy when he was debating. He wished that he had Rook’s gift so that he could pause this moment and replay it forever. In the end, they agreed that until they had prepared other food the same way, and tasted it, there was no way to know for certain.

When everyone had finished eating, Kiska and Feral cleared the plates away and brought out wine glasses. At one of the banquet dinners on De Aarde they had discovered a bubbly wine called champagne, and Kiske and Lazlo had somehow convinced the locals to give them a crate. Ruza had procured his own half-bottle at the same market that Calixte had found the supplies for stoofvlees and frites at, which he planned to open with Thyon tonight. Tzara got up and headed to the back of the gallery, it was then that Thyon noticed a table off to the side with platters of pastries and a tub full of snow next to it. Tzara fished a bottle of champagne out of the snow, popped the cork with a surprising bang, and started serving everyone.

“Don’t anyone touch their champagne until we finish serving and toast the birthday girl.” Tzara instructed menacingly.

The chatter died down again in anticipation of what was coming next. Suheyla brought over a small platter with one each of the pastries she had made and a small candle that was alight. She set the platter down in front of Calixte, who was positively beaming, and said, “Ready everyone? On three. One, two, three.”

Everyone started singing the Amezrou happy birthday song but since they hadn’t practiced and everyone was out of sync it sounded like a cacophony of noise to Thyon. Their song dissolved into laughter by the last line when Calixte dramatically blew out the candle.

Tzara was still standing and she had her glass raised to start the toast, but Ruza interrupted her. “Wait, wait! Before the toast I want to sing my version of the Happy Birthday song.”

Thyon, Tzara, and Lazlo all simultaneously groaned. But Calixte was already laughing and gave him the go ahead.

Ruza stood up, cleared his throat and sang:  
“Happy birthday to you,  
You live in a zoo,  
We all act like monkeys,  
But we also love you!”

The table erupted in laughter and applause. Tzara grabbed an unused spoon and tapped it against her wine glass until everyone had quieted down. “Calixte my darling, we all hope that you are having the best birthday that you’ve ever had. It has been an absolutely surreal couple of months for all of us, but life on this ship just wouldn’t be the same without you. Here’s to another year of exploring, another year of fun, and another year of life!”

It looked to Thyon like Calixte had silently said “Love you” to Tzara, then they were clinking their glasses and the table again erupted in cheers as everyone clinked the glasses of those around them.

Once everyone had sipped their champagne and it had quieted down again, Calixte announced, “Thanks everyone. I believe its time for pastries and presents! To the games room.” Calixte pumped her fist in the air like she was leading a battle charge, grabbed her platter of pastries and headed out of the gallery.

Thyon finished his champagne before heading to the table to get himself some pastries with everyone else. Warmth was spreading through his chest, partly from the champagne, but mostly from the joy and love he felt. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to having a family, the real kind that supported and loved each other despite their flaws and arguments. He almost didn’t want to get used to it, because that would make it seem mundane, when nothing about his new life was mundane. He was watching Ruza root around in the snow and muttering to himself when Sparrow offered to pour him more champagne. Thyon declined, he had already decided to stop drinking for the night, the memory of his horrible hangover still fresh in his mind. He turned back to Ruza who was now pouring orange fizzy drink into a glass, and he wondered why Ruza wasn’t having more champagne.

“Hey Nero, want some?” Ruza waved the bottle for emphasis.

“Yeah, thanks,” Thyon replied, loading his plate up with pastries.

“Are those all for you?” Ruza asked him incredulously.

“You’re one to talk with your bottomless pit of a stomach.” Thyon smirked. “But no, I thought we could share?”

“Ok, lets hurry before we miss the presents.” Ruza picked up both of their glasses and turned towards the door.

Thyon laughed as he picked up the plate and turned to follow Ruza. He made a split-second decision and slipped his other arm around Ruza’s waist, rubbing the small of the warrior’s back with his palm. “Don’t worry I’m sure they’ll wait for us.” Ruza didn’t answer but Thyon could see that he was smiling and his cheeks were flushed. It gave him a little thrill to be having this effect on Ruza and a smug smile played across his lips. He looked up as they approached the door of the games room and saw Rook standing in the doorway, looking back at them, his brow creased and his lips tightly pursed together. Their eyes met and Rook shook his head then ducked into the room; it all happened so quick that Thyon briefly wondered if he had imagined it.

They walked into the games room just in time to see benches rising up from the mesarthium floor, which was another thing that Thyon knew he would never get used to, Lazlo’s incredible gift. It looked like Suheyla was giving directions to Lazlo, telling him what kind of benches to craft and where, and when he was done there was a semi-circle of two and three-seater benches with mini tables instead of armrests around the fireplace and another one at the front for Calixte and Tzara. Everyone took a sofa cushion from the floor so that they wouldn’t have to sit on hard metal and sat down.

After Thyon and Ruza were situated on their bench, Thyon leaned over and whispered, “See, I told you we wouldn’t miss any of the fun.” Ruza turned to Thyon and winked before reaching over him dramatically to grab a pastry from the plate on the other side of Thyon. Thyon chuckled and he was about to say something else, but he realised that Calxite was staring at him.

Calixte had the gift from him and Suheyla in her hand and she was waving it around. “This one is from Thyon and Suheyla,” she announced before tearing the paper off. Calixte squealed and tried the gloves on. “Are these what I think they are?”

“Suheyla made the gloves, I added the gripping compound on the fingers to help with climbing. It should be water resistant and last a couple months, but I haven’t fully tested it yet. You’ll have to let me know if they work or if I need to adjust the compound,” Thyon explained.

Calixte squealed again and shouted, “I love them!” while hugging Suheyla. Then she ran over to Thyon and hugged him, he was so surprised that she liked them that he could feel his cheeks flushing. It didn’t help that everyone was looking at them with smiles on their faces. He simply wasn’t used to being the source for other people’s happiness. When he sat back down Ruza shifted closer, handed him a diple and gave his thigh a reassuring squeeze. Thyon’s hearts beat faster with the knowledge that Ruza knew him well enough to recognize his panic and cared enough to try and ameliorate it.

The next gift that Calixte opened was from Sarai, it was a small poster that Sarai had painted with Calixte’s name surrounded by the flowers they’d found on De Aarde. Calixe again squealed and exclaimed that she loved it while hugging Sarai.

It was the same process for every gift. Calixte seemed equally pleased with all of them. Tzara had given her a hand made journal and a memory book that was already part filled. Lazlo had given her a mesarthium bracelet with mesarthium ‘jewels’ hanging off of it. Sparrow’s gift was a card because the real gift was in the garden – a new tree for Calixte to climb. Feral, Ruby, and Minya gave her a massive jar full of candies that Suheyla had taught them to make. Minya even let Calixte hug her without an argument. Kiska, Werran, and Rook gave Calixte a wind-up music box with several different metal discs that played songs that they had gotten from the market in De Aarde. And last was Ruza’s massive gift. Which turned out to be a party game; it was a large wooden box at an incline with holes cut into it and numbers painted above the holes. On the side of the box Ruza had painted the words ‘Bladder Ball.’ There were cloth bags filled with sand that you were supposed to throw at the holes to get points.

“Ok, but why is it called Bladder Ball?” Calixte asked after hugging Ruza.

“Ah well you see it’s a traditional fireside game and instead of cloth sacks, people used to fill pigs bladders with sand.” There was lots of groaning and quite a few “ewws” from around the room, which only caused Ruza to laugh. Thyon had doubted the veracity of Ruza’s claim, it would be just like him to invent the name and the backstory himself, but Suheyla verified it when asked.

Tzara neatly stacked all of the gifts back on the table except for Ruza’s game. Bottles of champagne appeared from somewhere and people started passing them around to top up their glasses. Calixte raised her glass in the air and waited for quiet. “I know I already said it, but I love each and every gift. Thank you so much everyone. I hereby decree that it’s time to party!”

There were several rounds of cheers and glasses clinking before anyone looked like they wanted to leave their circle around the floral fire; Thyon and Ruza were certainly in no rush to leave each others side. Kiska held up a pack of cards and announced that she was going to play ‘Cheat,’ a game that they had learned during their time with Nova and that was quickly becoming everyone’s favorite game. Feral, Werran, Ruby, Minya, and Rook joined her at the card table.

“Well that should make for an interesting game,” Ruza whispered in Thyon’s ear. Despite the fact that Ruza’s breath gave him chills and he could barely put thoughts together every time he did something like that, Thyon snorted because it was true. Minya and Feral were experts at keeping their faces blank when they lied but they were no good at recognizing the ‘tells’ of the others. So they never managed to win.

“Ruza! Come show us how to play Bladder Ball!” Calixte shouted. Ruza and Thyon both reluctantly stood up, and Thyon took their empty plate and a couple others that had been abandoned and stacked them on a side table. Lazlo rearranged the room so that only a few benches remained around the fireplace and there was a large open area for Bladder Ball. Then Ruza demanded a chalkboard to keep score so they all watched in awe as Lazlo melted the ceiling and brought one down from the map room above. Everyone paired off in teams and Ruza arranged a tournament on the chalkboard.

Their tournament lasted a solid hour. While other teams were playing Thyon had a couple quiet moments to himself where he just watched his friends and their happiness made him happy; he also couldn’t help himself and watched Ruza who appeared to be having the time of his life. Ruza was so competitive that Thyon knew he couldn’t help but be involved in every match, providing helpful tips to anyone who was struggling or talking trash to teams that were winning. Somehow he also managed to pay attention to Thyon, to Thyon’s delight. They were both getting bolder with physical affection, hugging when they won matches, little touches on arms, backs, and hips, affectionate shoulder squeezes when no one was looking. Despite having only one glass of champagne, Thyon felt drunk. He wondered if it was possible to get drunk on happiness.

Thyon wasn’t very good at the game, he was sure that playing with Ruza wasn’t helping due to the distractions, but Ruza more than made up for it with his skill so they played right up until the end. To the surprise of almost everyone, Suheyla was a master at Bladder Ball. She and Lazlo beat Ruza and Thyon to win the tournament. Calixte insisted that Lazlo make a mesarthium trophy with their names on it and she placed it on the mantel of the fireplace with much fanfare.

Now that the tournament was over Thyon realized he was parched. “I’m heading to the kitchen to get another drink, does anyone want anything?” he announced.

“Yes!” multiple people shouted. And then came a chorus of answers from around the room: “Wine! Champagne! Orange juice! Raki! Tea please! Water for me! That lemon drink we had at lunch if there’s any left!”

Thyon looked a bit bewildered, he wasn’t expecting so many answers at once. He didn’t even know what raki was or if they had any. Both Ruza and Sparrow seemed to be enjoying Thyon’s increasingly flustered expressions but at least Sparrow offered to go with and help him.

When they were in the kitchen and Sparrow was sure they were alone, she nudged Thyon in the side with her elbow. “I see you haven’t gotten anywhere with your plan.”

“No. But I’ve never been to a party like this before, and I’m enjoying it. Are you having a good time?” Thyon asked as he started the water boiling for tea.

“Yeah I am. I’m just glad everyone is on their best behavior.” Sparrow smiled as she started adding drinks and glasses to the trays.

“It is nice, isn’t it?” They smiled at each other. “Oh, I forgot to tell you earlier! This morning Ruza claimed he was teaching me defensive skills, but of course it was a game and I lost and I’m pretty sure he invented the game solely so he could win.” Thyon was preparing the teapot as Sparrow filled a jug with water.

“Ohhh?” She stopped what she was doing and smirked. “And what exactly do you owe Ruza now that you lost?”

“I have to do whatever he says for 10 minutes.”

Sparrow burst out laughing. “Oh Thyon, of course he did it on purpose. Imagine the possibilities.” She headed towards the icebox to get the cold drinks.

“I have been. Imagining all sorts of things that is,” Thyon fretted.

When Sparrow was back in the main kitchen Thyon changed the subject “Do you know what raki is and if we have any?”

“I think it’s a liquor? Ruby went through all of the cabinets after we had stocked the ship from Zeru and found a cabinet full of different liquors. I’m pretty sure one of them had a label that said raki.” Sparrow opened a couple of cabinets before finding the right one. “Ah here it is.” She took the cork out and sniffed it. “It smells awful, here smell it.”

Thyon took the bottle from Sparrow, “Smells like anise. Its an acquired taste.” He put the cork back in and added the bottle to the tray. “Have you spoken to Rook at all? Have you figured out his motivations for pairing up with you?”

“We’ve not talked much no,” Sparrow sighed. Her brow was creased and she was frowning. Thyon waited patiently to see if she felt like saying any more. “I’m too much of a coward to talk to him. I keep hoping he’ll strike up a conversation with me, but it never happens. What if the visit to the spas is horrible and awkward?”

“It doesn’t have to be horrible. It’s definitely a place that a person could go to alone and just relax so you could always just sit in one of the smaller pools by yourself. You don’t have to feel obligated to make conversation.”

“Maybe. I think we’ve got everything, shall we head back?” Sparrow took one of the trays they had prepared and left the other one for Thyon.

“Sure.” Thyon wished he hadn’t brought up Rook. Sparrow looked sad now and it seemed wrong to be sad at a party. He was chewing on his lip and racking his brain for something, anything he could say to lighten the mood when Sparrow turned around at the door grinning. Thyon smiled back, absolutely relieved that he hadn’t spoiled the party for his friend.

“Care to make a wager?” She asked.

“What kind of wager?” he picked up his tray and headed towards the door.

“Who will make a move first, you or Ruza. I’d wager Ruza.”

Thyon laughed in response. “I don’t think we can make a wager if we both would bet the same thing. I’m too busy trying to find the perfect moment, I’m sure he’ll beat me to it.”

Carrying trays full of bottles and drinks turned out to be quite difficult, so they were quiet walking down the corridor back to the games room, both concentrating hard on not dropping anything. “There must be a better way,” Thyon muttered to himself and resolved to think about it at a later date.

As soon as they entered the games room Calixte shouted “Hooray!” and ran over to get one of the bottles of champagne they brought. Sparrow brought some of the drinks over to the card table where Suheyla, Feral, Kiska, and Sarai were playing a game that Sparrow didn’t recognize. They looked well into it already so Sparrow left them to it and headed back to the others. Thyon handed out the remainder of the drinks to everyone else although Ruby and Werran were nowhere to be found so he left the bottle of raki on the tray.

Ruza, Tzara, Lazlo, and Calixte were taking turns making trick shots at the Bladder Ball box and Thyon decided to sit near the fire with his drink, sweet ginger lemonade, and watch. He longed to be by Ruza’s side again but he never felt comfortable adding himself to an activity that had already started so he settled for watching his crush instead. He was intently staring at Ruza’s muscular thighs and ass while he leaned over a chair to make a shot when Sparrow sat on the bench with him.

Sparrow noticed right away what he was staring at and giggled. “Enjoying the show?” she teased.

Rook sat down next to Sparrow as Thyon blustered his way through an answer.

“Hmm? Oh. What?” Thyon blushed as he looked at Sparrow sitting next to him; she seemed so small in comparison to him and Rook. “Maybe,” he grinned and ran his hand through his hair trying to act calm.

“Sparrow and I were just debating which is better, champagne or wine. I say wine, she says champagne and we need a tiebreaker,” Rook interjected. He leaned back casually and took a sip of his wine while staring intently at Thyon.

“Depends what you mean by better,” Thyon considered while absentmindedly swirling his drink and trying to decipher Rooks’ expression. “Do you mean it just tastes better end of, or do you mean better for everyday drinking or better for celebration drinking?”

Rook looked at Thyon strangely, like he wasn’t expecting Thyon to think so deeply about his question. Meanwhile Sparrow just giggled and nearly spilled her drink when she tried to say something. Thyon was starting to realize that it was possible both of them were tipsy.

Finally Sparrow managed to squeak out “It’s not so complicated, just pick one. Don’t think, just pick. Wine or champagne?”

“Champagne,” he proclaimed. Then he snuck a glance over to Ruza who was pretending to pay attention to Bladder Ball while glancing furtively at the three of them with his brows furrowed.

Rook groaned at the same time that Sparrow gave a delighted “Whoo!”

“You chose poorly,” she added. Thyon turned his attention back to their conversation.

Rook shrugged. “More wine for me. Ok how about cake or pastry?”

“What kind of cake and what kind of pastry?” Thyon blurted out.

This time Sparrow groaned and Rook practically gawked at Thyon. “Honestly Thyon, that’s not the question.”

“The questions are too vague!” He protested but they were all three laughing now. He snuck another glance at Ruza who appeared to be still watching them as well. Interesting.

“Well I choose cake,” Sparrow contended and then she finished her champagne.

Rook prompted Thyon with one raised eyebrow.

“Pastry,” Thyon chose.

“I agree, pastry.” Rook smirked at Thyon. “Daylight or moonlight?”

Thyon kept casting glances between Ruza and Rook. He couldn’t figure out why Rook was smirking as if they were sharing secrets and Ruza looked annoyed. “Moonlight,” he answered, just to keep this strange game running.

Meanwhile Ruza was losing his patience. He could pretty much hear the entire conversation because its not like they were talking quietly and he couldn’t shake the feeling that Rook was attempting to flirt with Thyon. He was relieved that Thyon didn’t look at all like he was interested. Instead, the alchemist looked confused. Still, he needed to figure out a way to get Thyon away from them and soon.

“Daylight,” Sparrow chose.

“Moonlight,” Rook agreed with Thyon again then finished his wine. Thyon barely heard his answer he was focusing so hard on figuring out what was going on. “So how was the spas today?”

“Oh it was nice. Very relaxing. Time just flew by, it hardly felt like we were there for over an hour.” Thyon turned his attention to Sparrow because she was trying to pour champagne into Thyon’s empty glass. “Oh, no thanks.” He took the bottle from her and set it aside and tried to ignore her dramatic sigh as she flopped back in her seat.

“Since it was too short you could join me and Sparrow. We don’t mind, right?” Rook was smirking again and Thyon decided he found it odd. Maybe being raised by Nova had had some weird lasting impact on him.

‘ _Oh Hell No_ ,’ Ruza thought to himself. He had completely lost his shit with Rook’s question. He was about to do something brash and foolish but he didn’t care because he just needed _this,_ whatever Rook thought he was doing, to _end_ right now.

“Oh Ruza could come too!” Sparrow announced a bit too loudly. “Because none of us knows how to swim and he does. Safety first, right?” She looked expectantly at Thyon.

“Um, I’ll think about it,” seemed like the most polite answer Thyon could come up with. Neither of them knew about his scars and he wasn’t really ready to get into that tonight. Rook didn’t look too pleased that Thyon hadn’t said yes right away, but Thyon barely had time to register those thoughts because suddenly there was a warrior sitting in his lap and that required all of his attention.

Thyon’s body reacted instinctually; his brain registered the closeness of Ruza at the same time that he realized one of his arms was already around Ruza’s waist and the other was resting across his thighs. He was touching Ruza’s perfect, muscular thighs that he had been longing to touch for weeks. Everything else in the world was inconsequential to this moment.

Ruza wrapped his arm around Thyon’s shoulders and leaned in close. Thyon shivered from the feel of Ruza’s breath on his neck. He wasn’t sure where this was going but it didn’t matter. He’d go anywhere with Ruza. Ruza whispered into his ear “I know what I want you to do for 10 minutes – come with me to my balcony and watch the stars.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry for ending the chapter with a cliffhanger... 😘


	10. Champagne, chocolate, strawberries, and heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night takes a romantic turn for our love-struck boys but with a side of angst thanks to Thyon, the epitome of disaster gay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're in the mood for a soundtrack then I would suggest a couple of songs that i was listening to a lot while writing the past few chapters. 'Crazy for you' by Madonna, 'Heaven is a place on Earth' by Belinda Carlisle, and 'The Warrior' by Scandal (yes I've been watching GLOW but these songs are awesome regardless).

It took a minute for Thyon to register that Ruza was whispering in the common tongue, like a secret, and what exactly he had said. As soon as he figured it out he whispered back “Yeah sure, lets go.” Even though he didn’t want to go anywhere if it meant that they would have to get up.

Ruza was running his fingers along the back of Thyon’s neck when Thyon answered him and though he was a bit sad that they’d have to get up, he wanted Thyon all to himself. But then someone behind them wolf whistled and it broke the spell they were under.

Ruza got off of Thyon’s lap and with a determined look on his face that dared anyone to argue as he held his hand out. But his iciness melted as soon as he saw the love-struck grin on Thyon’s face. Thyon took his hand, stood up, and didn’t let go. He no longer cared that people were looking at them.

“Sorry, but we have somewhere that we need to be right now,” Ruza proclaimed in Amezrou, a sly smile played across his lips.

Sparrow was grinning ear to ear and she slurred, “Have fun” as they started to walk away. She was definitely tipsy.

Ruza and Thyon were so giddy with excitement they practically bounded out of the games room, hand in hand. Calixte called out “It’s about time!” and hooted just as they reached the doorway. Neither of them deigned to answer, but Thyon laughed nervously, he was still amazed that this was happening.

“I think they’re all drunk,” Thyon remarked when they were halfway down the corridor. He glanced over and noted that Ruza was blushing and still smiling. “Did you say you have a balcony? Since when do you have a balcony?”

Ruza smiled and squeezed Thyon’s hand. “Since two weeks ago when I insisted Lazlo make me one. It has a really good view of the night sky.”

“Hmmm, why didn’t I think of that? The window in my room is sad and tiny. Maybe I’ll ask Lazlo to make me a balcony,” Thyon cooed.

“Absolutely not.” Ruza argued.

“Excuse me?” Thyon demanded, affronted.

“If you get a balcony then you won’t want to come visit me on mine.” Ruza countered.

“Maybe I was going to attach my balcony to yours, to make one long shared balcony. Our rooms are right next to each other.”

Ruza laughed, more at himself for getting annoyed so easily than anything else. Leave it to Thyon to come up with a great idea while they were debating; he hadn’t thought of connecting their rooms before, but now that it had been suggested he found the concept rather appealing. Regardless, they had nearly reached Ruza’s door and Ruza felt his pulse quicken with excitement.

Their debate had only temporarily distracted Thyon from his nervousness. Soon, they would be in Ruza’s room where they would be alone. It was exactly what Thyon had wanted, but now that it was happening he was terrified. He took a couple of deep steadying breaths.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” Ruza quipped as he ushered them into his room, which was dimly lit by a few glaves. He latched the door so that no one could barge in on them, and Thyon noted that it was the same latch as his own bedroom door. Tapestries were covering almost every speck of wall, but the details were impossible to make out in the dim light. It was immediately apparent that this room had a much larger aperture to the outside world since the air was cool and fresh, unlike the air in Thyon’s room, which was usually hot and stale. Ruza walked to the open doorway on the wall opposite to the bedroom door and led Thyon outside. The balcony wasn’t expansive, but it was big enough for a small sofa and a low table. Thyon joined Ruza leaning against the railing and looked out at the world in front of them.

“Wow, this view is spectacular,” he breathed. Four moons were visible, to the right, and they had only begun to wane so the balcony was bathed in bright moonlight. A bright slash of stars cut across the sky, radiating out from one of the moons. Swirls of purple, magenta, and green were visible amongst the deep black on either side of the bright slash. The eastern mountains were just about visible far out on the horizon. It was the kind of view that made Thyon wish that he were an artist, so that he could paint this particular sky in this particular moment and keep the memory forever on his wall.

“It’s great isn’t is? Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back,” Ruza promised.

Thyon didn’t even turn around because focusing on the view while breathing deeply was slowly calming his nerves. He heard the distinctive sound of a champagne bottle being opened and he realized that this must be why Ruza hadn’t had much to drink. He smiled at the thought that Ruza had planned this, had intended to bring him here all along.

Ruza rejoined Thyon on the balcony and he set a small plate of food that Thyon didn’t recognize on the table then handed Thyon a glass of champagne. Their eyes met and they looked at each other for an eternity in those seconds, each feeling the distinct rightness of being with the other. Ruza recovered the ability to speak first, so he raised his glass in a toast, “To the weather, who cooperated and kept the skies clear so that we could see the magnificence of the universe.”

Thyon laughed and raised his glass to meet Ruza’s. “To the weather,” he toasted. After their toast Thyon remembered the plate and his curiosity. “What’s on the plate?” he asked.

“Oh I nearly forgot,” Ruza sat on the sofa and Thyon followed. The sofa was only just big enough for two adults – they were sitting so close together that the space between them could hardly be called space at all. It was equal parts cozy and thrilling. “These are a specialty of De Aarde. I found them in the market. They’re called chocolate-covered strawberries. It’s a kind of candy coating on a type of fruit.” He picked one up and held it close to Thyon’s lips “Here, try one.”

Thyon opened his mouth and Ruza fed him a strawberry, his thumb brushing against Thyon’s cheek as he pulled his hand back. Thyon’s eyes stuttered half closed at the touch, and his head tilted, chasing after Ruza’s touch. He bit into the strawberry, and his eyes flew open with surprise.

Ruza was watching him with interest and he let out a little laugh at Thyon’s expression. “Good aren’t they?”

“They’re _divine_. We must get some for Sparrow to grow. I don’t think I could live a life without them now that I’ve tasted one.”

Ruza laughed heartily and brought the plate closer to them. “They are very moreish,” he agreed and then ate one.

They gradually sunk down into the plush confines of the sofa, resting their heads on the high back to look at the stars with their feet resting on the table in front of them. They spoke softly, low and secretive, about their favorite stars, which moon was their favorite moon, and whether the swirls of colors were permanent or seasonal. All the while they continued eating strawberries and drinking champagne. Tonight could _definitely_ be described as romantic. But the night air was cold this high in the sky and there was a small breeze so it wasn’t long before Thyon started to shiver.

“Are you cold?” Ruza asked, sitting up.

“A little.”

Ruza was off the sofa in a flash, “Ok. Be right back.”

Thyon heard some rustling and then Ruza appeared back on the balcony with a blanket and the bottle of champagne. “Problem solved.” He sat down again and spread the blanket across the two of them before pouring the last of the champagne into their glasses. “I thought I should let you know that the 10 minutes expired a while ago. You’re free to do what you want, you could even leave.”

Thyon cocked his head to the side and furrowed his brows. “Do you _want_ me to leave?” he inquired.

“Of course not.”

“Then why did you say that?”

“Because I want you to be here of your own free will. Not because you lost a game.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Thyon shook his head and sighed. “And for the record I didn’t need to lose a game, I would have come with you if you’d asked.” The smile that Ruza gave him in response lit up his whole face and Thyon knew then that nothing would ever compare to seeing Ruza happy. Thyon pulled the blanket up over their adjoining arms to their shoulders and snuggled close, slipping his arm under Ruza’s so they could hold hands. He hoped that this was the start of something. He’d be content to spend every night with Ruza just like this if he could because everything felt right when they were together.

But there was something niggling at the back of his mind and he knew that it would keep bothering him if he didn’t talk about it. “The weirdest thing happened tonight,” Thyon started.

“Oh?” Ruza murmured. He sounded half-asleep.

“Rook asked me to go to the spa with him and Sparrow. Then Sparrow said that you should come too. Which to be honest makes more sense than Rook asking me in the first place.”

Ruza sat up and his entire body went stiff. Why was Thyon bringing this up now? Well, if they were going to talk about it, might as well get it over with. “I think I know why he asked you,” Ruza snapped more harshly than he intended.

Thyon could feel the tension radiating off of Ruza, but he also wanted to know what was going on so he pressed forward, “Really? Why?”

“I think he likes you,” Ruza gritted out.

“What?” Thyon laughed at the absurdity of it. But Ruza had dropped his hand and his body was still tense so he must be serious. “Wait, you’re serious?”

“As serious as a svytagor.”

“Why do you think he’s attracted to me?” Thyon was absolutely incredulous; he couldn’t believe he’d been so dense.

Ruza sighed. “Because about a week ago he was asking me all sorts of personal questions about you. I basically told him to shove it and that he could get to know you himself like a normal person.”

“Oh, good. I mean I’m glad you said that.” Thyon started stroking Ruza’s forearm. He had opened up this chasm that was now widening between them and he desperately wanted to close it. “It’s good to know that my secrets are safe with you.”

“Of course they are,” Ruza’s voice was surprisingly soft when he whispered that.

Realization hit Thyon like a tonne of bricks and he barked out a laugh. Ruza’s body went tense again.

“What’s so funny?” Ruza asked icily.

Thyon had never heard him so upset and he was finally sure that he had figured out why. “Nothings funny. I just figured something out and I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. I think I know why you’ve been acting weird and annoyed around Rook. You’re jealous aren’t you?”

“No. Maybe. It annoys me ok?” Ruza’s voice was so full of emotion that it was hurting Thyon's hearts.

Thyon poured every ounce of kindness and love that he had into his words. He needed Ruza to understand. “Oh Ruza…” He shifted his body so that he could look at the warrior and what he saw was fear. Ruza was right there and yet so far away and this was all his fault. “Hey,” Thyon reached his hand over and turned Ruza’s chin so that they were facing each other. Thyon hoped that Ruza could see the sincerity and care in his eyes despite the darkness when he said, “There’s nothing to worry about. I’m not interested in Rook. At all.”

“Are you sure?” Ruza’s voice wavered.

Thyon was still holding Ruza’s chin and he traced the outline of his jaw with his thumb. The skin was smooth, Ruza must have shaved today, but the muscles were tense, hard. “Of course I’m sure,” he insisted. He smiled playfully trying to fix the disaster that he’d just made. “Besides, he’s not even my type.”

“Oh. So what’s your type then?” Ruza still sounded unsure, but there was a hint of playfulness in his voice now.

“You. You are,” Thyon’s voice was steady and confident.

With that Thyon watched the fear and anger and tension melt right out of Ruza. He exhaled deeply as if he had been holding his breath the entire time and bent his head forward resting his cheek on Thyon’s shoulder. “Well that’s good,” he said to Thyon’s neck. “Because as it happens, you’re my type.”

Thyon wrapped his arm around Ruza’s broad, muscular shoulders. He held him tightly and breathed in his scent, it was mint and rosemary and something distinctly Ruza. He felt the warrior soften against him and snuggle closer. They stayed that way for many minutes, until Thyon was sure that the chasm that had opened between them was closing again.

Thyon started tracing idle patterns into Ruza’s shoulders with his fingers, drawing the both of them back to that place that the night had started, when they were playful and flirting. “So did you bring me here with the sole intention of watching the stars, or did you have an ulterior motive?”

“I may have had a hidden agenda but at the moment I’m unable to move forward with it.” Ruza sighed with feigned exasperation.

“And why is that?”

“Because you requested that I keep my mouth away from you and I am honoring that request,” Ruza divulged, with theatrical seriousness.

Thyon choked out a laugh. “I had forgotten about that. Well, I officially rescind that request. I think I’d quite like it if you did the opposite actually.”

In answer, Ruza kissed the top of Thyon’s collarbone, which was just accessible in the v of his shirt collar. Then he kissed Thyon’s neck, which elicited a gasp because it felt so much better than anything Thyon had imagined. Ruza hadn’t even made it to his lips yet and Thyon’s body was already tingling with pleasure. Ruza’s lips were soft and warm and as he kissed his way up Thyon’s neck and Thyon decided it was exquisite torture being teased like this. “Wise decision,” Ruza breathed, his voice rough and deep, and his breath hot. Thyon’s senses were overwhelmed with novel input and he shuddered when Ruza kissed the bottom of his jaw. The second that Ruza’s lips had pressed against his neck Thyon’s arms had fallen to his sides, forgotten, but now he felt an overwhelming urge to touch him so he ran his fingers up the warriors’ muscular back and caressed the nape of his neck. Ruza kissed his cheek and Thyon gently scratched up and down the sides of Ruza’s head where his hair was short and prickly.

It was Ruza’s turn to gasp; he closed his eyes and leaned back into Thyon’s hands, a look of pure delight was just visible in the moonlight. Emboldened by Ruza’s reaction, Thyon wrapped his hands around the back of Ruza’s head and drew him closer. Ruza opened his eyes then and smiled. They paused for two heartbeats, just gazing into each other’s eyes. Then Ruza cupped Thyon’s face with his hands and closed the distance between them.

This kiss, it felt like a revelation. The world’s secrets were contained in this kiss. It was soft and loving and full of joy. Why had no one mentioned that lips, lips! could feel so many different things? There must be a million nerve endings in lips. And, oh, oh the things that lips could _do_. Thyon couldn’t believe that they had waited so long to do this. And then Ruza pulled Thyon’s upper lip into his mouth and sucked on it and suddenly the kiss wasn’t sweet and soft but hot and decadent. Ruza threaded his fingers through Thyon’s hair and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. Thyon felt lascivious and pulled Ruza’s bottom lip in and sucked. All his thoughts, all his feelings, every inch of his body was on fire and yet, there was more. Ruza nudged their lips apart and Thyon discovered tongues. Ruza tasted like champagne, chocolate, strawberries, and heaven. Before this kiss Thyon would have said that logically, heaven didn’t exist. But now? Now it seemed he had solid proof of heaven’s existence. Heaven was kissing Ruza. He wanted to kiss Ruza forever but they were both out of breath and gasping for air, so he wasn’t surprised when Ruza pulled back.

Thyon leaned his forehead against Ruza’s and tried to catch his breath. “That was…” He couldn’t think of a word to adequately describe how amazing it was.

“Incredible,” Ruza breathed. Ruza hadn’t known about kisses like _that_. If he had, he might not have waited so long to kiss Thyon. Nothing that he had done previously had prepared him for _that kiss_ and he was giddy with the knowledge that everything was different – special, precious – with Thyon.

“Amazing,” Thyon agreed.

Ruza brushed a strand of Thyon’s hair off his face and Thyon closed his eyes and leaned into his touch. Ruza’s fingers were softly tracing the contours of his cheek, and then the outline of his lips – Thyon kissed each finger in turn. Then Ruza was cupping his chin and pulling him into another kiss. Thyon couldn’t believe that he would have been content to spend his evenings just watching stars with Ruza when they could be kissing instead.

Ruza thought it was a bit early to confess his true feelings aloud, so he poured every ounce of yearning, and softness, and love that he felt into this kiss. He wanted Thyon to _feel_ loved even if they weren’t ready to say it.

And Thyon did, feel loved that is. He felt safe and he felt so completely at peace that his previous nervousness was a distant memory. He felt like he finally found his place in the world, the place where he was meant to be, in Ruza’s arms.

They kissed for ages, both of them losing themselves in the exploration of the other. And there was so much to discover! For instance that kissing a neck could feel as good as having your neck kissed. Or the sounds that you could elicit from nibbling on an earlobe. Or the tingling sensations from fingers running through hair. And the delighted shudders that result from fingers being dragged down a back.

Eventually the long day and the late hour caught up with them and Thyon found himself snuggled up against Ruza’s chest, safe in his arms, and struggling to stay awake.

Ruza tried to stifle a yawn and failed. “It’s late and we’re both knackered…” he murmured.

“Don’t wanna go. Cozy here.” Thyon babbled into Ruza’s chest.

Ruza yawned again. “Didn’t say you had to go. You could sleep here, with me,” his voice was soft and hopeful and his embrace was warm and solid.

Thyon made no attempt to move from his current position, but his voice was hesitant, “Is ‘sleep’ a euphemism for something else or are you inviting me to stay and just sleep?”

Ruza chuckled softly; he was glad that Thyon felt comfortable enough with him to clarify his intentions instead of panicking and running away. “It’s not a euphemism. I meant what I said – we’re both exhausted. But I like cuddling with you and I don’t want you to go. Trust me that if I wanted to do something else, I wouldn’t beat around the bush with euphemisms. I’d use far _dirtier_ language.” The last part was practically a growl and Ruza momentarily worried that he’d scare Thyon off.

But Thyon responded like he found the prospect delicious, “Mmmmm, promise?” he asked, his voice a heady mixture of lust and sleep.

“Promise,” Ruza replied while rubbing circles in Thyon’s back. “Come on, let’s get up before we fall asleep here.” 

Thyon groaned his displeasure loudly and with much difficulty peeled himself off of Ruza. They both stood up and shuffled into Ruza’s room. Thyon was so tired he wouldn’t have minded sleeping in his clothes, but Ruza was one step ahead of him. He pulled some pyjamas from his dresser and handed them to Thyon. “Here, these should fit you.”

“Thanks,” Thyon mumbled. He rubbed his palm into his eyes willing himself to wake up just enough to get ready for bed. Ruza led him into the bathing room and showed him where the toothpaste was and gave him a toothbrush and a cup. Thyon could see Ruza’s toothbrush and cup sitting on the sink and he gave Ruza a lopsided grin at the thought that he had picked up spares just for him. Ruza smiled back and left Thyon alone, closing the door softly on his way out. The pyjamas were soft and lightweight and fit Thyon quite well despite his difference in size. The top was long-sleeved and it was obvious that these particular pyjamas had been chosen on purpose so that Thyon would be comfortable wearing them, and he was.

Ruza was sitting on the edge of the bed, already in his pyjamas when Thyon emerged from the bathing room. “You can leave your clothes wherever you like,” he offered. “And feel free to choose either side of the bed, I don’t mind.”

Thyon left his folded stack of clothes on the bench at the foot of Ruza’s bed and chose the right side. Ruza’s bed was much larger than his own, and the mattress was thicker too. Although Thyon was the aristocrat by birth it was Ruza’s room that felt luxurious and decadent. Every new thing he learned about Ruza was a delight and he felt a surge of affection and warmth with each one. He untucked the blankets and crawled in, the sheets smelled fresh and newly laundered which made him grin again. Ruza must have had high hopes for tonight if he’d changed his sheets today. Thyon settled on his side, facing Ruza’s half of the bed and he sighed contentedly. He couldn’t get over how not anxious he was.

Ruza opened the bathing room door and felt his hearts momentarily stop at the sight of Thyon tucked into his bed, his face soft with sleep. It was a surreal feeling to get so many things that he had wished for all in one night. He hadn’t had much to drink but he felt slightly dizzy so he steadied himself on the doorframe until the feeling passed. Then he covered all of the glaves except the one on his bedside table and closed the balcony curtain most of the way. Thyon turned to see what he was doing so he added “I keep the curtains open a bit for the breeze, is that ok?”

“Sure,” Thyon yawned and rolled back over waiting for Ruza to join him.

But Ruza didn’t join him, instead he was standing at his side of the bed, not moving and looking perplexed. So Thyon asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Um well, I normally sleep with a lot less clothing because I overheat. Would it be all right if I took my shirt off?” he sounded worried.

“Of course its fine. Now get in bed, you’re far too far away from me.” Thyon lazily reached out his arms grasping at the air for emphasis.

Ruza took his shirt off and climbed into bed facing Thyon. Thyon’s arm was immediately around his waist pulling him closer. Ruza brushed a few stray strands of hair off of Thyon’s face and then carded his fingers through Thyon’s silky, golden hair. Thyon's eyes drifted shut and he sighed in pleasure. Ruza couldn’t believe that he got to do this now, that this was his life.

Thyon opened his eyes and looked at Ruza with wonder. “Hey,” he whispered.

“Hey,” Ruza whispered back.

“I can’t believe I’m in your bed.”

“To be honest, neither can I.”

“It’s nice, isn’t it?”

“Better than nice,” Ruza kissed Thyon softly and Thyon returned the kiss equally soft.

“Mmmm,” Thyon hummed when they broke apart. “Can I be the big spoon?”

“Sure,” Ruza whispered back. He kissed Thyon’s forehead, then the tip of his nose, then his lips, then he pulled away and turned over. He covered the glave on his bedside table and settled back into bed. He felt Thyon wrap his body around his, but Thyon didn’t settle. A couple minutes of fidgeting later he felt Thyon unwrap his body and sit up. Ruza grunted at the loss of contact.

“You weren’t kidding,” Thyon complained. “You’re boiling hot. I’m taking my shirt off too.”

After taking his shirt off Thyon folded back the top blanket so that it was at the end of the bed. Finally satisfied with the temperature he lay back down next to Ruza and pulled the sheet up. Then he wrapped his arm around Ruza’s waist and pulled himself closer so that his chest was against Ruza’s back. He peppered Ruza’s neck with several soft kisses as an apology for fidgeting. If he hadn’t been so tired he might have considered running his hands all along the beautiful body lying next to him but sleep was beckoning. There would be time enough for that later.

Ruza relaxed into Thyon’s touch. He loved the feel of their bodies pressed together like this and he still could scarcely believe that he was about to fall asleep in Thyon’s arms. He wanted to hold Thyon too so he moved the arm he was sleeping on around his waist and found Thyon’s hand, he gently squeezed it and said “Goodnight Thyon.”

Thyon squeezed Ruza’s hip and murmured “Goodnight Ruza.”

They were both fast asleep minutes later. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way my head canon of what Ruza looks like is very close to [this](https://orange-ravens.tumblr.com/post/617921319892402176/i-finally-read-strange-the-dreamer-and-muse-of), except my Ruza has hazel eyes, shoulders that are broader and he's a bit more muscular.


	11. Luxury dessert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after Ruza and Thyon's romantic evening...

Bright sunlight was streaming into the room so before Thyon even opened his eyes he knew something was wrong because he always leaves the curtain closed, and his window is too small to let this amount of light in. In his half-asleep state he wondered if he as having another lucid dream. However, as sleep retreated, he became aware of several things: he wasn’t in his own bed, his arm was wrapped around a shirtless Ruza sleeping next to him, his very hard erection was pressed against Ruza’s backside, and he was definitely not dreaming. The thought occurred to him that Ruza could wake up and feel what was happening to Thyon and embarrassment flooded his thoughts. His face turned bright red, his hearts started beating wildly, and his chest felt tight and airless as he slowly inched away from Ruza. Coherent thinking wasn’t happening – he just knew he needed to go somewhere, and be alone, and catch his breath. He found the pyjama shirt he had stripped off last night and put it back on, then he quietly headed to Ruza’s bathing room. Thyon was nearly at the door when he heard the sheets rustle behind him.

“Where you goin?” a sleepy Ruza mumbled behind him.

“To the bathing room,” Thyon answered.

“Bring me a glass of water when you’re done?”

“Sure.” Thyon stepped through the doorway, closed the door softly behind him and slid to the floor. He forced himself to breathe deeply instead of hyperventilating and the tightness in his chest eased up a bit and his erection, thankfully, disappeared as well. Troubling thoughts were still running wild through his mind, but this was nothing new. What was relatively new was his determination to cope with his malfunctioning brain in ways that didn’t involve harming himself, so he diverted all of his attention to making lists of facts. When his breathing and hearts returned to a more normal pace, he got up, used the toilet and washed his hands, then splashed cold water on his face for good measure. Despite the physical manifestations of his panic subsiding, Thyon was still wrestling with his thoughts. One thought in particular was holding sway: that it was morning and therefore he should return to his room. His mind further reasoned that if he left now, he wouldn’t have to face the potential future where Ruza asks him to leave. He favored the option of slipping out quietly, but thought of a couple semi-plausible excuses for why he needed to return to his own room in case Ruza was awake still. Then he filled Ruza’s glass with water. 

Thyon returned to Ruza’s room and set the glass of water on his bedside table. Ruza looked like he had fallen back asleep so Thyon crept towards the bench where he had left his clothes last night.

“Why are you so far away?” Ruza interrupted him. “Come back to bed – 6 o’clock is far too early to be up.” Ruza reached his arms out and grasped the air the same way that Thyon had done last night.

And that was it. Thyon hadn’t really wanted to leave; his anxiety had convinced him to do it. Besides, he could deny Ruza nothing, least not this, so he walked back over to the other side of the bed and climbed in. Ruza was still facing the other way but he reached his arm behind him trying to find Thyon, as soon as his hand found Thyon’s he tugged at it and beckoned, “Come here.”

Thyon’s hearts melted – Ruza wanted him to stay. And not just stay, but stay and cuddle. Thyon snuggled up and Ruza started stroking Thyon’s forearm while sighing contentedly. Thyon expected him to fall back asleep, because isn’t that what you do when its too early to get up? But Ruza was full of surprises. He absolutely did not expect Ruza to say: “You were going to sneak back to your own room without saying anything, weren’t you?”

“Um maybe. Yes.” Thyon confessed.

“It’s far too early to be having any sort of conversation but I can tell your thoughts are running wild and we cant be having any of that right now,” Ruza announced, sounding fully awake now.

He turned over and faced Thyon, and Thyon couldn’t find a trace of any of the things his anxiety had convinced him that Ruza would be when he woke up to Thyon in his bed (angry, disgusted, annoyed); instead Thyon saw only concern and something else, a softness of some kind. Ruza ran his fingers lightly across the alchemist’s brow and then through his hair, gently teasing out the tangles. “Closing yourself off and retreating is not always the best plan of action – sometimes its better to talk things out, so I’ll start. I spent weeks planning last night. I made Lazlo build me a balcony and a sofa that seats just two. I made you play a game you could never win so that I could get you alone, on my balcony, at night to watch the stars. I bought those strawberries at the market because they were delicious and I wanted to share that with you. I made Feral bring me some snow so that the champagne and strawberries would still be cold by the time we got back here. And then I kissed you and asked you to stay the night. Because I like you. A lot actually. I like you so much it scares me. Even though I spent all that time planning a perfect romantic night, I don’t expect everything to be perfect all the time. I just want to be with you.”

Somehow Ruza knew exactly what Thyon needed to hear and Thyon had a momentary pang of jealousy that Ruza was so much better than him at relationships, but then he was immediately grateful that Ruza was also patient, and kind, and so much better than him at relationships. He wanted to explain himself, but he was struggling to find words that were adequate so he simply whispered, “I panicked.”

“I noticed.” Ruza was still carding his fingers through Thyon’s hair soothingly; his touch had always been a balm for Thyon’s nerves.

Thyon closed his eyes and reminded himself that Ruza knew him better than anyone, Ruza was his closest friend and now maybe, more? if Thyon could get over his fears and speak truthfully… Ruza even admitted that he was scared too, so he should at least try. “I’ve never done this before and I hate not knowing what to do. I… I didn’t know it was possible to like someone as much as I like you. And _that_ is leading to all sorts of _feelings_ that I am woefully unprepared for… I think the fear and anxiety were some kind of self-protective mechanism. In my defense, running away seemed like a good idea at the time…”

“Hey, I’ve never done this either.” Ruza saw Thyon frowning at that. “I mean, I’ve never had a relationship with anyone. I’ve never liked anyone the way I like you. Why don’t we agree,” Ruza softly kissed Thyon’s jaw, “To figure this out,” then he kissed his cheek, “Together?” then his lips. He pulled back so they could look at each other.

Thyon was smiling softly and his cheeks were flushed. “I think I can agree to that.”

“You think?” Ruza playfully pushed at Thyon’s waist.

“Mmhmm.” Thyon threaded his fingers through Ruza’s hair at the back of his head and pulled Ruza into a kiss. This kiss started out soft and slow and almost hesitant, but gradually deepened into something more bold and sure and a little bit needy. Ruza’s words and the feelings that he was pouring into this kiss wiped away any remaining doubts that the dark recesses of Thyon’s brain were trying to impose upon him. The fact was that Ruza liked him, liked him a lot, and that was the most important fact of all.

When they broke apart, both panting a little, Thyon mustered all of his courage and breathlessly declared, “I do hope this means we’re in a relationship now. Because I have no intention of sharing you with anyone; I want you all to myself.”

Ruza’s smile lit up his whole face. “I’m yours,” he said with absolute conviction. “In fact, good luck getting rid of me. Cause you’re stuck with me now.”

Thyon had never heard anything so delightful as those two words: ‘I’m yours.’ He laughed softly until his body reminded him that he was tired and then he yawned.

“It’s still too early for breakfast,” Ruza yawned too. “Let’s take a nap.” He pulled Thyon with him as he rolled onto his back and Thyon snuggled in tight, with his head on Ruza’s chest and Ruza’s arms wrapped around him. Thyon fell asleep to the blissful sensations of Ruza’s fingers brushing through his hair and gently scratching his scalp. Ruza drifted off shortly after.

__________________________________

At 8:40 Ruza’s stomach grumbled so loudly that it woke both of them up. It had the audacity to grumble again which elicited giggles from Thyon. He leaned down and kissed just below Ruza’s ribcage, at the approximate location of the offending organ. “I think that means it’s time to get up.”

“I am hungry,” Ruza conceded. “Also we did promise to teach Sparrow and Feral to ride horses today.”

Thyon, who was kissing his way up Ruza’s ribcage, groaned. “I’d forgotten about that. I suppose I better go change into something more appropriate for riding then.”

They both got out of bed and Thyon collected his clothes and shoes. He paused just before opening the door because Ruza had wrapped him in a warm and solid embrace from behind and he nuzzled Thyon’s neck. “Do you think everyone will make a big deal out of us leaving together last night?” Thyon pondered.

“Possibly. Do you want me to go to breakfast first? I’ll take the brunt of the teasing.”

“Absolutely not.” Thyon turned and pressed Ruza against the nearest dresser. “We’ll go together, holding hands. We’re not leaving any doubts in anyone’s minds as to what’s going on. I might have failed to realize that Rook was flirting with me, but I certainly didn’t enjoy his attention. So we’re going to go to breakfast together and if needed we’re going to be as soppy as Calixte and Tzara or Lazlo and Sarai because we are together and as you said, he can shove it.”

Ruza looked at Thyon in wonder and laughed delightedly when he got to the end of his speech. “You’re my favorite person in the universe,” he said before pulling Thyon into a kiss. “Meet me back here in 15 minutes? Or do you need more time?”

“15 sounds fine. No sense in bathing before spending the morning with horses.” Thyon placed a quick peck on Ruza’s lips and frowned. “Oh. Oh no. Horses. Sparrow. I forgot that she likes Rook. She’s going to be so upset if she finds out that he was flirting with me. Maybe he wasn’t. We don’t know for sure.”

Ruza was looking at Thyon like he had sprouted a second head. “He invited you, just you, to go with them to the spa, Thyon. If he liked her he wouldn’t have done that. Think about it. I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to go with us because I wanted to be alone with you. If he’s not into her, doesn’t she deserve to know?”

Thyon sighed loudly, his exasperation unmistakable. “Let’s just get through this morning. I’ll think about telling her after we get back.” Ruza gave him a quick kiss goodbye and then Thyon left. Despite his grand speech a minute ago, he was glad that there wasn’t anyone in the hallway. He wasn’t feeling much up to being cornered alone.

Thyon quickly washed his face, brushed his teeth, and got dressed. While brushing his hair he stared at himself in the mirror as if he expected his appearance to have changed since last night. He felt a million miles away from yesterday’s Thyon, but the person in the mirror looked exactly the same. Further proof of how different he was today was that he didn’t waste any extra time fretting over his outfit choices because well, he didn’t see the point now that he was in a relationship with the person he desired the most.

At 15 minutes on the dot he knocked on Ruza’s door. He heard a muffled ‘come in’ so he did, closing the door behind him. Ruza stepped out of the bathing room and he was again wearing his tight leather trousers and a leather vest. He must have dipped his head in the faucet because his hair was glistening wet and Thyon’s mind conjured dark and wicked thoughts. A bead of water was running down Ruza’s temple and he imagined what it would be like to lick it off. The thought thrilled him and then it shamed him. Was that even something that people did? Licking faces? Had his many years of repression in Zosma perverted him? He filed these thoughts away for processing later. Thyon crossed his arms over his chest and tried to look angry. “You’re doing this on purpose aren’t you?”

Ruza, who hadn’t failed to notice Thyon’s hungry eyes, asked innocently “Doing what?” Then he sat on his bench to put his socks and boots on.

“Wearing tight trousers, a vest that shows off your sculpted arms, and just…” Thyon waved his hand in the general direction of Ruza, “Just generally looking like a tasty snack.” He hadn’t meant to compare Ruza to food until he had done it, and his cheeks flamed at the memory of Calixte teasing him when he had failed to catch the insinuation of her comment about tasting good.

Ruza finished what he was doing then stalked over to Thyon, pushing him against the door. “I can’t help it if you find the sight of me so enticing. But I’d be a liar if I said I don’t enjoy flustering you,” his voice was rough and low and the parts of Thyon’s brain that conjured wicked thoughts went into overdrive. He rolled his hips ever so slightly into Thyon’s and crooned, “And by the way I’m not a quick snack, I’m a luxury dessert.” Then he stepped back, smiled wickedly and said, “Ready to go? I’m famished.” 

Thyon, looking absolutely wrecked, shook his head trying to clear the fog of desire; at least he had managed to avoid a full erection. “You’re going to be the death of me,” he muttered, following Ruza out the door.

As soon as they were in the corridor, he slipped his hand into Ruza’s and they headed towards the gallery. Right before they rounded the final corner and therefore right before they were visible to everyone eating breakfast, Ruza paused and turned to face Thyon. “Ready?” he whispered, searching Thyon’s eyes for signs of panic.

Thyon smiled and whispered confidently back, “Ready.” He pressed a chaste kiss to Ruza’s lips before they resumed walking.

They entered the gallery, side by side, holding hands, and to ensure that no one missed their entry Ruza announced “Good morning everyone.” It worked, all eyes were on them; Sarai, Lazlo, Suheyla, Feral, and Sparrow were smiling warmly Thyon noted. Not everyone was at breakfast, Calixte, Tzara, and Kiska were missing.

After Ruza and Thyon sat down it was Ruby who broke the silence. “Since when are you two together?” she demanded, looking genuinely surprised.

Ruza turned his head toward Ruby but he was watching Thyon in his peripheral vision. “Officially? Early this morning.” Then he winked at Thyon and loaded up his plate with everything within reach.

Ruby looked even more confused than before and when she looked to Sparrow for assistance she saw that Sparrow looked happy, which did nothing to assuage her confusion. “I don’t get it,” she muttered under her breath.

“Ruby, if you’d actually bothered to pay attention to the people that you live with you would have noticed that these two have been absolutely smitten with each other for ages.” Sparrow chided.

“Oh come on, it wasn’t that obvious,” Ruby argued, but several people at the table coughed or choked or laughed which indicated that it had probably been obvious to everyone else. Thyon, content that the all of the attention was now on Ruby, and not him, ate his breakfast as quietly as possible.

“Even I noticed, Ruby,” Feral said kindly. Then laughing, “Even Minya noticed.”

“Keep me out of this Feral,” Minya snapped.

The temperature in the room noticeably increased, and Thyon and Ruza exchanged knowing glances with each other as Sparrow stared down Werran while tipping her head towards Ruby.

Finally getting the message, Werran said “Don’t worry Ruby, I didn’t notice either. Probably because I was so busy flirting with you.”

“That’s not all you’ve been doing,” Rook complained bitterly. “And honestly, would it kill you two to be a bit quieter? Some of us would like the option of keeping our windows open to the cool night air without having to hear you going at it.”

With that, the table descended into their usual barely contained chaos of arguing and complaining and airing grievances. Thyon and Ruza continued eating their breakfasts, quietly, occasionally smiling slyly at each other and not participating. This had gone better than Thyon had hoped for, but of course he expected the most teasing from the two women who had obviously had too much fun last night to bother with breakfast this morning. At least they managed to make it all the way to the end of the meal without Ruby setting anything on fire.

Because of the party, they had all slept in this morning, so Lazlo suggested that those going to the spa should all go together in the mesarthium moth ship, _Dreamsmith_ , since he could fly it directly there and save time. Ruza would fly _The Dragon_ to the farm with Thyon, Feral, Sparrow, and anyone else that fancied horseback riding lessons. Groups of people started to leave the table to get ready for the various morning activities.

Thyon and Ruza were on their way to the kitchen to clean their dishes when Ruza remembered something. “Hey Lazlo,” he called ahead, “Before you leave I need you to make a small modification to my wall.”

“This isn’t about the dragon shaped fountain again is it?” Lazlo asked, washing his plate and mug.

“No, although that would be amazing and you know it. This is a more functional change.”

“Ok,” he agreed, “I’ll meet you there in 10 minutes.”

Thyon raised his brows in silent question to Ruza, wondering what this was about, but Ruza just smiled. So he waited until they were just outside their bedroom doors before asking “What’s sort of change are you going to make?”

Ruza motioned Thyon to follow him as he stepped just inside his room. “Remember last night when you argued that you would build a balcony that attached to mine?” Thyon nodded. “Well, I’m not sure if there’s enough mesarthium for that because Lazlo already complained about my balcony. But, it gave me an idea. We should put a door on this inner wall here to connect your room to mine.” Ruza was facing the wall showing Thyon where he thought the door could go when he realized he hadn’t even asked Thyon if it was ok. “Of course, we don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, I should have asked you first…” Ruza trailed off because Thyon had wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a warm embrace from behind. Then he peppered Ruza’s neck with kisses.

“It’s a great idea. Let’s do it. I think a sliding door would work best and we’d have to move a few pieces of furniture around, but it should be straightforward. Lazlo’s done more complex things before.”

They had the practicalities of what should be shifted where and what the door should look like by the time that Lazlo arrived. It took longer to explain to Lazlo what they wanted done than it took him to actually make the changes. Lazlo of course insisted that they test the door before he left, in case it didn’t work, but it worked perfectly. Before leaving, Lazlo turned to the two of them and said “We’re planning a trip to the market in two days time. Sarai and Sparrow suddenly have quite a lot of money and they’re both keen to spend it.”

“And what sort of wager did Sarai and Sparrow win?” Ruza asked, knowing quite well that Calixte was running several different wagers at the moment, but none of them that he knew of had been won recently.

Lazlo turned a sort of purplish shade when his cheeks blushed and he looked a bit uncomfortable. He had only himself to blame though since he was the one who had brought it up. “There was a pool on when you two would finally get together and who would make the first move. It paid out last night after you left the party; both Sarai and Sparrow were completely correct so they split the pot.”

Ruza laughed heartily then and Thyon and Lazlo joined in.

“And still Ruby, Werran, and Rook had no idea?” Thyon asked incredulously.

Lazlo furrowed his brows, “I’m pretty sure Rook knew,” he reckoned, “He had money on the two of you not getting together, although, he was the only one who even considered that potential outcome.”

“Arrogant bastard,” Ruza snapped. Lazlo flashed Ruza a look of concern and confusion so Ruza carried on “He’s been flirting with Thyon for the past week. Although Thyon didn’t realize that’s what was happening, I sure did.”

“Ruza, we don’t know for certain that’s what he was doing. Maybe we should keep this bit of gossip to ourselves so that it doesn’t hurt someone’s feelings.” Thyon hoped he’d not have to say Sparrow’s name out loud; he looked at Ruza but Ruza just looked annoyed, then he looked at Lazlo and Lazlo seemed to get it.

“Oh.” Lazlo said. “Ohhhh, this is complicated.” Before they could get any further with their discussion, Sarai appeared at Ruza’s door.

“Are you three done yet?” Sarai demanded, hands on her hips for effect. “Everyone’s waiting in the hangar ready to go.”

“Just a minute!” Thyon exclaimed before running through the new door into his room. He quickly filled his canteen with water and stuffed some things in his satchel before heading out to the corridor.

Ruza was waiting just outside his door, smiling. He pulled Thyon in for a quick kiss and whispered, “I’m so glad you said yes to the door.”

“Me too,” whispered Thyon. Then he kissed Ruza’s cheek and took his hand and they hurried to catch their friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone is wondering about Thyon's panic attack, and why it occurred seemingly at random after their romantic night. As a person with anxiety and panic disorder since I was young (and recently depression yay) I recognised a lot of the little hints in the books that Thyon was dealing with a similarly malfunctioning brain as mine, which is why I decided to run with it and make it more obvious in a story about him. For me, new experiences are a panic attack trigger. Doesn't matter if they're good/happy/scary experiences or not. So I wrote that into Thyon's character because it was easy for me to identify with. FYI panic attacks don't always need a reason - there's often no logic in them, but sometimes there is a trigger, even if the trigger is seemingly benign. 
> 
> Anyway, if you're reading because I promised smut in the tags, please stick around. There will be smut and it will be soon.


	12. I left all my couth behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thyon does a brave thing. Plus lots of soft, sweet moments between our two lovestruck fools.

They were on their way back to the _Astral_ from a successful morning of horseback riding lessons and Thyon noticed that Sparrow had gone quiet. He wondered if it was because it had been another hot day with bright, blaring sunshine, or if it was because she was tired from using her gift. Mikkel’s farm was the one that Sparrow was scheduled to visit, so her and Kiska spent an hour following Mikkel to different fields where she coaxed various fruits and vegetables to begin to grow. After they explained that Mikkel should water the plants overnight with his aqueduct system, Sparrow promised to return tomorrow to finish the job. Mikkel was so impressed with her gift that he brought them to his leather shop and insisted that they each pick out a hat to keep. None of them had seen hats like this before, with deep crowns and wide brims, nor had they called them hats, but that’s what Kiska said they were called. They immediately saw the benefit of the overly wide brim in a place that was so bright and sunny all the time. And despite Ruza’s complaints that the hat would ruin his hair, Thyon couldn’t help thinking that he looked exceedingly good in it with his leather trousers and leather vest.

Upon arriving back, Kiska and Feral left _The_ _Dragon_ swiftly once Feral and Thyon had agreed to meet in the laboratory that afternoon. Sparrow waited for Ruza to finish shutting the airship down before giving Thyon a worried glance and saying “Can I talk to you both?”

“Of course,” Thyon replied. Ruza joined them in the main part of the ship and stood beside him.

“I know I had a lot to drink last night, but I was serious when I asked if you’d both join me at the spas. I don’t think I want to go with Rook all on my own. Its clear he’s not interested in me, or he wouldn’t have invited you to join us Thyon. I’m… I’m not sure I want to go at all if it’s just the two of us,” Sparrow confessed. When she saw the hesitant look Thyon was giving her she pleaded, “Please, it will be so much more fun with both of you there.”

Thyon and Ruza looked at each other and Ruza knew that Thyon’s secret was his alone to divulge so he gave Thyon an encouraging look, placed a comforting hand on the small of his back and stated, “It’s up to you.”

It didn’t often happen that people asked favors of him because they were afraid or nervous and were relying on him for emotional support, in fact, it had never happened, so Thyon felt compelled to do this for his friend. “Ok, we’ll go.”

“Yay!” Sparrow jumped up and hugged them both.

When she released them from her grasp, Thyon cleared his throat. “But there are conditions. I am going to need the both of you to do something for me first. I’ll explain everything, but not here. Do you have time now, to come to my room? It wont take long.”

“Well this turned mysterious. But sure, lets go.” They talked about horses and the journey between Mikkel’s farm and the spa while they walked together to Thyon’s room.

As soon as Thyon closed his door he realized his error. Ruza caught on quick enough too and started giggling. “Nero, I cant believe you invited all of us back to your room and there’s no where to sit. Let’s go to my balcony.” Ruza opened their new sliding door and walked through to his room.

“Ohh you have a balcony? Wait, you have a door connecting your rooms? Since when?” Sparrow demanded.

“Well the door happened this morning after breakfast,” Thyon explained.

“Ah-ha. Woah Ruza, these tapestries! They’re beautiful.” Sparrow exclaimed while slowly turning in a circle and taking in as much detail as she could.

Thyon took a moment to really look at the tapestries now that there was enough daylight to do so, and he too was impressed. One was a forest scene rich with greens and browns, another snowy mountains and the night sky with constellations to match those that were visible from the Elmuthaleth, another was a map of Amezrou, and the final one depicted a great leviathan attacking a ship on a stormy sea. Thyon couldn’t comprehend how Ruza had had enough money to purchase tapestries of this quality; surely the salary of the Tizerkane wasn’t on par with the Zosmian aristocracy. “They are stunning. I’d been meaning to ask you about them. Did you buy them in Amezrou? The craftsmanship is exquisite.”

“I didn’t buy them, but I did get them in Amezrou. My parents made them. They’re both master weavers. These were gifts to remember them by, not that I’d forget my own family,” Ruza replied looking wistfully at the map of Amezrou, before fully opening the curtains to his balcony. “In fact, pretty much all of the fabric items I own were made by my family; I looted their shop while we were supplying the _Astral_.”

“What a great gift – I have so many questions. But I guess we should discuss these mysterious tasks first.” Sparrow stepped out on to the cool shade of the balcony and immediately made the decision that she wanted a large window in her own room. She took a seat on the sofa and waited.

Thyon sat next to Sparrow and Ruza hovered in the doorway. “Do you want me to stay?” he asked.

“Yes,” Thyon admitted. So Ruza perched himself on the armrest next to him, and his physical closeness was a buoy in the turbulent seas of Thyon’s emotions. He turned to face Sparrow. “There’s a reason I almost said no to going to the spa with you, and it has nothing to do with you. It’s because of me, and a thing that I don’t like to talk about. In fact, only Ruza knows the full truth.” Thyon undid the buttons on the cuffs of his shirtsleeves and rolled his shirt up to his elbows on both sides. He held out his forearms briefly, so that Sparrow could see his scars. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sparrow’s horrified reaction and then he saw her try to suppress her reaction. Thyon schooled his face and his voice into cool indifference, “I used to cut myself. My reasons are my own. I’d prefer it if you could ignore the scars and not talk about them to me or anyone else. If you can agree to that then I’ll come to the spa with you.”

“Thyon I…” she started then saw the mask that he had put on his face and she reached out and squeezed Thyon’s hand. “Thank you for telling me – for trusting me. I won’t talk about them to you or anyone else. But I want you to know that if you ever need to talk, you can talk to me.”

“Thanks.” Thyon smiled weakly at Sparrow.

“So, what do I need to do?” Ruza inquired, getting up from his perch to lean against the balcony railing.

“You’re going to talk to Rook,” Thyon answered.

Ruza dramatically contorted his face into a frown, “Ughhhh fine. You’re lucky I like you so much. What do you want me to say?”

“You’re going to tell him that Sparrow invited us, and we accepted. Then you’re going to tell him that I have some scars on my arms and that they are not up for discussion. He’s to keep his thoughts to himself and not gossip to anyone else about it.”

“And what if he refuses?”

“I don’t know. Look menacing. You’re a Tizerkane warrior, I’m sure you can think of some way to convince him,” Thyon countered.

Ruza threw up his hands and sighed. “Fine.”

Thyon, who was eager to move on from the current topic of discussion, rolled his sleeves back down and buttoned the cuffs. “Shall we go to lunch then?”

Sparrow and Ruza both agreed, so they headed to the gallery.

_________________________________

Thyon was getting dressed after having a post-lunch bath when he heard Ruza knock on their sliding door. Although they had bathed separately and Thyon still felt the need for privacy to dress, they hadn’t closed the door all the way; they trusted each other implicitly and both of them felt that closing the door all the way had a weird sort of unnecessary finality to it, so a small gap remained. “Come in,” he called.

Ruza opened the door then proceeded to reach his arms above him and grasp the doorframe, stretching his arms and torso. The sight made Thyon feel warm, and tingly, and hungry, especially considering Ruza hadn’t put a shirt back on. “What time are you meeting Feral?” Ruza asked, a smirk appearing on his face when he saw desire written plainly on Thyon’s face. “Do you have time to take a nap with me?” He dropped his arms so that they were straight out from his shoulders and deepened the stretch.

Momentarily stunned, Thyon stood with his mouth agape unable to take his eyes off of Ruza or respond to his questions. He suddenly _needed_ to touch Ruza and he was a bit taken aback by how strong his desire was. Then he remembered that he was in a relationship with the gorgeous man in front of him and there was no reason to hold back. He closed the distance between them and ran his hands up Ruza’s arms. “You’re such a show-off,” he whispered.

“You like it,” Ruza teased.

Thyon stepped closer and pulled Ruza in to a searing kiss.

When they broke apart Thyon responded to Ruza’s questions, “I have an hour and a half. Are we actually going to sleep, or are we going to spend the entire time kissing?”

“Does it matter?” Ruza asked, taking Thyon’s hand and pulling him towards the bed. 

Thyon laughed, “I think I’d prefer kissing. I feel like I have to make up for not being able to touch you all morning.”

They toppled into Ruza’s bed and kissed with abandon. Ruza’s consistent lack of shirt had proved irresistible and Thyon found himself touching every inch of skin he had access to, as if mapping it, or unlocking secrets. In a way, he was. Intimacy was a completely foreign concept to him until recently, and it still felt like there were unknowable depths left to discover.

He held back from touching below the belt though, as that was distinctly connected to sex in his mind, and he wasn’t quite ready for that step. Despite the warriors flirting and brazen toplessness, Thyon noticed that Ruza was following his lead, and keeping his hands above the waist. With that realization, Thyon’s kisses turned soft and caring, and he was flooded with warmth and an emotion he didn’t immediately recognize. He’d been feeling it more and more in the presence of Ruza and wondered if it was love. It must be love, especially as it was connected to Ruza and joy and contentment. How sad was his life that he couldn’t even reliably recognize love? Not sad anymore thankfully.

Eventually their jaws ached from the exercise and their mouths drifted apart. Ruza rolled from his side onto his back, pulling Thyon into the same position as this morning, with Thyon’s head against Ruza’s chest. Ruza was absentmindedly running his fingers through the alchemists slightly damp hair when he said “What you did today with Sparrow, agreeing to go to the spa and showing her your arms, was kind of a big deal. Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really. Not yet,” Thyon tensed.

“Okay,” Ruza knew better than to push. Instead he soothingly massaged Thyon’s shoulders, easing the tension away.

“Do you think that we can get some more of those chocolate covered strawberries at the market?” Thyon pondered, changing the subject to one more pleasant.

“Oh definitely,” Ruza answered. He told Thyon as much as he could remember about the various stalls and the goods for sale at the market, and they happily planned out what they wanted to purchase. Far too quickly it was time to get up and head out for their afternoon appointments.

They left through Ruza’s door together and met Calixte and Tzara who appeared to be on the way back to their room.

“Awww did you two lovebirds have a good night? Was it everything you ever hoped it would be Thyon, or are you still a maiden?” Calixte jibed.

“You know there’s a perfectly good genderless term to use, right? You don’t have to imply that virgins are feminine. And furthermore, its really none of your business,” Thyon bristled.

“Ah I guess the night didn’t go so well then,” she retorted.

Ruza instinctively stepped closer to Thyon and put his arm around his waist in a comforting gesture. “You know for someone who is exclusively attracted to women, you sure do take an awful lot of interest in the romantic lives of the men around you,” Ruza reprimanded.

Tzara gave them an apologetic look and pulled Calixte away from them into an embrace. “Pay no attention to her, she’s just a nosy gossip who lives for drama. But we are glad to see you’ve finally figured things out. Happy is a good look on both of you,” Tzara winked at Thyon.

“If its drama you’re looking for you should have been at breakfast this morning. Rook got into it with Werran about all the _noises_ he and Ruby make when she spends the night. Apparently it’s loud enough that Rook has to close his window.” Ruza divulged.

Calixte squealed with delight and hopped from foot to foot. “Ooh I’ll have to see what Ruby says about this when we make dinner tonight. Thanks for the tip.”

Thyon checked his watch impatiently, annoyed by the delay. “I’ve got to go – I’m late,” he griped.

“Okay, bye!” Calixte sang as they turned and walked away.

Ruza was meant to discuss the new training schedule with Kiska and Lazlo in the map room so he parted ways with Thyon in the gallery. No one was around so he hazarded a quick kiss to lighten Thyon’s mood – it mostly worked.

_________________________________

After dinner, Thyon was on Ruza’s balcony watching the sun set and waiting for Ruza to join him. The rays of the setting sun were bouncing off of the clouds in the sky making them look like puffy pink candies floating above the mountains. Waiting gave him time to reflect on his new life, which he hadn’t really done much for the past couple months seeing as his attraction to Ruza had been completely occupying all of his thoughts. But now that they were together, those thoughts were quieting down, and he was finding more moments where his mind was calm. He thought about how involved he had gotten with many of the others on the _Astral_ , how intertwined their lives were now, and some even depended on him. He had grown soft in so many ways, which he had expected would have disgusted him, but it didn’t. He remembered that back on Zeru he hadn’t even wanted friends, believing relationships to be too messy, and he chuckled softly at the memory and at himself – and how wrong he had been.

The bedroom door behind him banged open and then slammed shut. Thyon supposed the talk with Rook had gone poorly, a conjecture that was not disproven when Ruza deposited a bottle of wine and two glasses onto the table, next to the bottle and glasses that were already there, and practically threw himself on the sofa next to Thyon. Ruza grumbled as he sunk as far down into the sofa as he could, and Thyon handed him the glass he had already poured.

“You already had a glass of wine waiting for me?” he asked softly.

“I thought you might want one,” Thyon conceded as Ruza took several large gulps of wine. “I see that I wasn’t wrong. I gather it went poorly?” Thyon took a sip from his own glass waiting for Ruza to answer.

“Well he agreed to your terms. He claimed he was only doing it because it was a favor for you and you trusted him with the information. He still thinks he has a chance with you by the way.”

“He what?” Thyon snorted. “Are you sure? What did he say?”

“He said ‘I’ll be there when Thyon tires of you.’ What a prick,” Ruza grumbled.

Thyon couldn’t contain his incredulous laughter but through it he managed to sputter, “That’s actually hysterical. He really thinks I’ll get tired of You? Has he lost his senses?” Thyon laughed even harder, he laughed until there were tears in his eyes. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in ages. Spending time with you has the exact opposite effect that Rook seems to think it does, it only makes me want to spend _more_ time with you.”

Ruza, who was now on his second glass of wine, finally cracked a smile. “I feel the same way about you,” he quietly confessed.

“So what did you say to him after that?” Thyon wanted to hear every detail of this outlandish conversation.

“Well I laughed in his face and mentioned that you and I had been attracted to each other before we even met him, so he could take comfort in the fact that he never really stood a chance. And then I mentioned that he’s not your type anyway, but he didn’t believe me on that one. And then he called me an uncouth barbarian, and said I wasn’t fit to be the partner of someone of your class and intelligence.”

Thyon wanted to laugh again at the ridiculousness of the statements, but he knew that some of those insults played at insecurities that Ruza hid rather well, so instead he wrapped his arms around Ruza’s shoulders and embraced him. “And what, a pirate like him is any better? Honestly what a bunch of horseshit. _I’ll_ be the judge of who is fit to be _my_ partner.”

Ruza giggled, “I can’t believe you just used the word ‘horseshit.’ Who’s uncouth now?”

“I left all my couth behind when I became an inter-dimensional space traveller.”

“Nah, you’ve still got plenty of couth. You just only use it when it’s needed now.” Ruza set his empty wine glass on the table in front of them and returned to the warm embrace of his favorite person.

“For Sparrow’s sake tomorrow lets just ignore him as much as possible. In fact, lets leave that conversation behind because I’d much rather be talking about this sunset, or your gorgeous tapestries, or the fact that you designed and decorated your room in a way that’s simultaneously comfortable and luxurious.”

Ruza kissed Thyon’s neck and nipped at his earlobe. “Mmmm, I can think of something else I’d rather be doing,” he crooned into Thyon’s ear before drawing him into a kiss. 

Every time they kissed a fire ignited deep within Thyon’s heart, every time his body tingled with pleasure, every time his spirit sang in his veins, every time he felt like he was falling harder and further in love. He was deliriously happy, despite only having had one glass of wine. They kissed until it had gone completely dark and their lips were swollen and body heat wasn’t enough to keep Thyon warm.

Ruza again brought out his blanket for them to cuddle under and they spent the next couple hours admiring the stars and chatting. Thyon allowed his curiosity to show and asked Ruza all about his family. Learning about his family helped Thyon feel closer to Ruza, and he could definitely see how Ruza’s childhood created the intelligent, caring, passionate, prankster of a warrior that was cuddling with him in the moonlight. Ruza, knowing that Thyon’s childhood held bad memories and trauma, refrained from asking many questions in return. At the moment Thyon seemed happy enough to listen to Ruza’s stories. In fact, he was genuinely interested and this new interest in people, even if it was only a few select people, had been one of the major changes in Thyon’s character since leaving Zeru.

“So your entire family, your parents and your brother, are weavers, and you come from a long line of weavers, and you ended up a warrior. It’s so anachronistic. Were your parents surprised? Oooo, was it a scandal that you weren’t even remotely interested in the family trade?”

“I love the idea of being scandalous,” Ruza laughed. “But no, my parents realized I was different pretty early on; besides being Tizerkane is an honour in its own right. There was a field near my school where new recruits sparred, and I used to sneak in and watch them everyday after school. When I was 10 I insisted they let me practice with them and eventually Azereen relented, but only after speaking to my parents. I had to stay in school though, that was the deal.”

“Mmm, its no wonder you look like a Viennese water dancer when you fight with your hreshteks if you’ve been training with them since you were a child.”

“I thought I looked ferocious,” Ruza pouted.

“I’m sure other people think you do,” Thyon yawned. “I’m quite tired, what time is it?”

Ruza yawned, “After 11. Sleep here, with me?” He stood up and folded the blanket.

“Of course.” Thyon stood up and stretched, expecting Ruza to head back inside, but instead he hugged Thyon from behind, pressing their bodies together.

“I was thinking that it would be nice if we slept together every night from now on. If that’s something that you’d be interested in.” Ruza’s voice was soft and steady, and warm on Thyon’s neck – but his request gave Thyon goosebumps.

“As it happens, I am interested in that. Your bed is larger, and nicer, so are you ok with us always sleeping here?”

“Mmhmm. Why do you think I have such a big bed in the first place?” Ruza bragged.

“Oh? Someone was mighty confident that I would be joining them in bed then?” Thyon teased.

“Not confident, hopeful. Always be prepared, or as my grangran used to say ‘Sew the seeds for the harvest you wish to collect.’”

Thyon laughed and hugged Ruza’s arms tightly, “Your gran was a wise woman.”

“She was indeed.” Ruza tucked a stray strand of Thyon’s hair behind his ear and kissed Thyon’s neck. “Just promise me you wont go running away first thing every morning.”

“Deal.” Thyon yawned again. “Let’s go inside, it’s too cold out here without a blanket.” So they went back inside and got ready for bed.

This time, Ruza insisted on being the big spoon. He had his own suspicions about what spooked Thyon this morning and planned accordingly. Thyon fell asleep first, feeling content with Ruza’s arm around his waist. Ruza listened to the steady sounds of Thyon breathing and drifted off shortly after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It didn't make sense to me that Thyon, who has literally never experienced intimacy of any kind with another living thing, would jump right to sex. So I wrote a couple of chapters of teeth-rotting fluff (ok, there's a smidgen of angst too) before he works up the nerve.


	13. Favorite part of the day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More fluff and softness. Because Ruza and Thyon deserve all the love.

On their third consecutive evening on the balcony together they had brought dessert, fruit tarts, to accompany the wine. They watched the sunset in contented silence, drinking, eating, and decompressing from the long day.

Rook had been on his best behavior at the spa, but him and Werran had argued fiercely, bitterly even, all through lunch and dinner. Ruza was certain that something big had happened between the two of them, because their anger with each other was obvious, but what they were arguing about were trivial matters. They had both seemed ready to throw punches at the dinner table, which in addition to breaking ‘Suheyla’s house rules’, was disconcerting due to the damage they were likely to cause. He hoped for everyone’s sake that they made peace and soon. Because of their fighting, almost everyone had retired to their own bedrooms after dinner, and Ruza was grateful for the excuse to spend the entire evening with Thyon on the balcony.

Thyon was replaying different parts of the past couple days in his mind trying to fit certain things together like puzzles. Except puzzles were generally easier to figure out than the motivations and intentions of people. People were much more complex than the scholars would have had him believe, and not for the first time did he wish that there were instruction manuals. Ruza had continued to eschew shirts as much as possible in the presence of Thyon, and he had also continued with the blatant flirting. But he hadn’t pushed any of Thyon’s unstated boundaries and his touches were comforting and caring rather than desirous or lustful. And yet, he was clearly enjoying the reactions he was eliciting. Thyon was pretty sure that Ruza was intentionally driving him wild with desire, but to what end?

The sun had just reached the horizon and their view was lit up golden and orange. The heat of the day was fading fast and Thyon had been so involved in his own thoughts that he had scarcely noticed when Ruza had gotten up to get the blanket. Thyon poured them both a second glass of wine while he waited.

After they had snuggled up together under the blanket Thyon said, “You know, sitting out here with you is my favorite part of the day. A balcony with a sofa was such a good idea.”

“I know! People should listen to my ideas more often. All of them are good.”

“The probability of that is low, but nice try.”

Ruza had intended to scoff and make a snarky reply but Thyon had ways of rendering him speechless. One of them, which he was presently doing, was using his fingers to gently scratch the side of Ruza’s scalp where his hair was short. It didn’t take long after that for their lips to meet. It turned out that kissing was one of those things that got better the more you did it, and the more you did it the more you wanted to do it. Watching the sunset or the stars on the balcony with Ruza, kissing Ruza, falling asleep and waking up next to Ruza were now essential parts of Thyon’s daily routine and vice versa. He hadn’t even known that he was missing them until they were there. And that made him wonder what other essential things he was missing out.

“Hey Ruza,” Thyon whispered when they broke apart for air.

“Mmmm yes Thyon?”

“Does it bother you that we’ve only been kissing?”

“Why would it bother me? Kissing you is positively delightful.” To illustrate his point Ruza kissed Thyon again, briefly.

“Mmm I didn’t mean to imply that it’s not delightful. But do you wish we were doing _other_ things?”

Ruza wrapped his arm around Thyon’s shoulders, and Thyon snuggled in closer resting his head on Ruza’s chest. “If by other things you mean not kissing, then no, I do not wish to be not kissing. But if by other things you mean sex, then I want you to know that I’m in no rush.”

“Ok, but you want to right? Eventually?”

“Of course I want to. I desire you _very_ much. But I’m not a savage, I have self-control, and I don’t mind waiting until you’re ready. And because I know you’re probably worrying about it, there is no right or wrong amount of time.”

“Until I’m ready. Until I’m ready…” he murmured quietly, as if the words didn’t make sense to him.

“What’s the matter?”

“I’m just not sure I’ll be able to tell when I’m ready.”

“Trust me, you’ll know it. You’ll want to touch, kiss, and taste everything and you’ll tear my clothes off just to get it. Then you’ll tear your own clothes off in your need for me to touch you. And make no mistake, I am looking forward to that day when your desire takes over and our clothes end up strewn about the floor. _Very much_.”

Thyon was idly caressing Ruza’s forearm, contemplating his words when the realization hit him. “Ohhhh, it all makes sense now. You have been _purposely_ driving me wild with desire.”

Ruza flashed a mischievous grin that Thyon couldn’t see, but he could hear it in Ruza’ voice, “Maybe. Do you want me to stop?”

“Absolutely not,” Thyon replied quickly. Then he leaned back and kissed Ruza again, and again, and again.


	14. Hypothetically

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Thyon x Ruza fluff and a little bit of angst from Sparrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to thekeyholder and ConstantlyConfusedAlien whose comments give me life. I don't know what possessed me to write such a long first ever fic, but without their kind words and encouragement, I would have probably given up long ago.

The city market was much larger than when they visited four days ago; there were more than twice the number of stalls and an entire area with games that hadn’t been there previously. It was busier as well, as if the entire city had come out to enjoy the day with large groups sharing food and sunbathing on blankets dotted around the fields surrounding the market grounds. Small children were running about everywhere flying colorful kites. The smell of food, both savory and sweet wafted through the breeze. Somewhere in the maze of stalls a band must be playing because they could hear the music above the din of the crowds. And some clouds had finally rolled in, giving a reprieve from the beating sun. The entire crew of the _Astral_ had come down to visit the market, but they had split up into groups because none of the godspawn had wanted to be without their gifts and Lazlo and Sarai were worried that a large group of blue-skinned faranji might frighten the locals.

Those among them that had grown up on the citadel had never seen so many people before and they were wary of the crowds. Sparrow especially seemed hesitant and stayed close to Ruza and Thyon. But Ruza’s running commentary on the market stalls and the locals was diverting enough that she soon forgot about her fears. While they were wandering around, Sparrow asked if there was a word to describe talking about things that may or may not be true.

“Do you mean hypothetically?” Thyon clarified.

“Maybe? Give me some examples.”

“Well, hypothetically, if we find the strawberry stall you could grow us some strawberries from the ones we buy. Or, hypothetically, if we had enough of the right kind of currency we could buy one of every type of food here. Or, hypothetically, if I were in a relationship with someone obsessed with dragons I might buy him one of those lizards as a pet and teach it to fly.”

“Or, hypothetically, if I were in a relationship with the most beautiful man in the universe I might visit that stall with the fancy clothes so I didn’t look like such a barbarian standing next to him.” Ruza interjected.

Sparrow laughed, “Yes that’s what I meant!”

And then it became a game for the rest of the day between the three of them, each trying to say the most outlandish thing they could think of. They continued their banter through most of the day as they wandered around perusing the wares and taking in the sights. Ruza wished they knew more about this world and its customs, but since they didn’t, he and Thyon had agreed to limit their physical affection in case it upset the locals. They were already garnering enough curious stares as it was with Sparrow’s blue skin. But despite the prying eyes they were enjoying themselves.

It was Werran who discovered the “Strongman” game, where you swing a mallet at a lever attached to a light up display and if you hit it hard enough to ring the bell then you win tickets that can be redeemed at the food stalls. When he saw Ruza and Tzara he waved them over. Tzara, affronted that it was called “Strongman” when Calixte translated, was the first to try and the first to win. Werran, Ruza, and Kiska also won before the game operator banned them saying that they had “god powers” and an unfair advantage.

Ruza used his tickets to buy as many things that involved chocolate as he could find, to Thyon and Sparrow’s delight. Most of it they ate straight away, but the strawberries they got boxed up for later. The three of them were sitting at a table sharing a chocolate covered waffle, waiting to meet up with the others, when Sparrow asked the question that had been on her mind lately. “Ruza, hypothetically, if someone was attracted to both men and women, how would they know?”

“Well I can’t speak for everyone, but I can tell you how I figured it out for myself. In school we used to gossip about who we thought was best looking and who we’d like to kiss and I found both girls and guys attractive. In my head the things I imagined, the fantasies I had weren’t limited to one gender. In comparison, my friends who were attracted to only one gender didn’t feel that desire towards the other gender, they just felt nothing. It probably helped that we spent a lot of time playing drinking games that involved kissing.” Ruza rubbed his chin looking pensive.

“You what?” Thyon sputtered, his disbelief evident. “Wait, I don’t want to know,” he decided.

Their conversation didn’t go any farther because Lazlo, Suheyla, Rook, Minya, and Sarai were walking towards them from the left and Calixte and Tzara were approaching from the right. So they finished their waffle in silence before the others joined them.

Calixte ran directly to Ruza and whispered in his ear, too quiet for Thyon to make out any of the words. Ruza’s eyes went wide and then he grinned mischievously before getting up from his seat. “I’ll be back in a bit,” he announced, winking at Thyon. He didn’t get far before Lazlo called out to Calixte asking her to stick around for a minute so Tzara took her place and left with Ruza. Shortly after they left, Kiska, Feral, Werran, and Ruby appeared with one of the Triumvirate and her delegation. Thyon and Sparrow watched with interest as they spoke with Lazlo, Calixte, and Kiska, and when nothing appeared to be happening, they resumed their hypothetical statements game, now focused on the Triumvirate delegation. When the meeting was over Kiska announced that there would be a meeting in the map room as soon as they returned. By the time that Ruza and Tzara returned, everyone was ready to go home to the _Astral_.

_________________________________

It was sunset on the balcony before Thyon and Ruza had a chance to be alone again. They were drinking champagne tonight instead of wine since Thyon had insisted on purchasing more at the market.

“So what do you think about this invitation from the Honorable Johanna van Gogh?” Ruza asked, pouring them both a glass of champagne.

“It sounds like the kind of stuffy aristocratic event I used to get dragged to in Zosma.”

“Hmmm, maybe. She did say that special attire was required, and that she’d hire a tailor for us. Maybe it won’t be as bad as we think? Besides, it might help us find some of the godspawn that were sold to this world.”

“I understand the point of the activity,” Thyon snapped. “That doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it.”

“Heeey slow down there, ravid. At least they gave us plenty of warning, we still have ten more days to explore and enjoy ourselves. Besides, this isn’t Zosma and you won’t be there alone. Surely it can’t be that bad if I’m there too.”

“I guess not,” Thyon sighed because Ruza did have a point. He sipped his champagne and tried to push away the memories of suffocating Zosmian grand balls. Instead he thought about the market and the mysterious paper bag that Ruza had acquired when he disappeared with Tzara. “Sooo what was Calixte whispering about at the market? And where did you disappear to with Tzara?”

Ruza’s eyes lit up, he had been wondering when Thyon would ask about that “Oh that. Well, Tzara and Calixte found a very adult specialty shop and hypothetically speaking, I purchased some things for us to try out.”

“An adult… Do you mean it sells items relating to sex?” Thyon asked hesitantly, a flush blooming on his cheeks.

“Some of it was romantic kinds of things for couples, but yeah most of it was sex stuff. They’re quite inventive here. I mean the shop had all of the standard items like oils and lingerie but so many other things I’d never seen or heard of before.” Ruza smirked wickedly.

Thyon’s face was practically crimson and he fidgeted in his seat. “That’s, uhh, well, good to know, I suppose. Maybe next time we can… go together to pick some things out.”

Ruza smiled, put his arms around Thyon’s shoulders, and nuzzled into his neck. There was a limit to how much he was willing to make Thyon squirm, so it thrilled him that Thyon was showing an interest. “Good plan,” he whispered before kissing his way up Thyon’s neck to his lips. They kissed soft and languidly, both enjoying this unhurried pleasure.

Thyon felt a heady surge of warmth and love, which left him breathless and delirious again. He was beginning to understand why there was a market for love poetry back on Zeru, albeit, a bit late now for him to read any of it.

Feeling confident from Ruza’s affections, Thyon asked, “Hypothetically, if I was overcome with lust, and tore our clothes off, but then didn’t know what to do, would you take the lead?”

“Hmm. Hypothetically, if that happened and you wanted me to, I would take charge.”

“Hypothetically, you wouldn’t have to ask, because that is what I would want.”

“Aren’t you full of surprises today,” Ruza mused.

“I’ve got to keep you on your toes. Don’t want you to tire of me.” Thyon grinned in the moonlight.

Ruza laughed at the absurdity of the suggestion, “That’s not even remotely possible, my darling.” He poured the remainder of the champagne into their glasses and then pulled the blanket out from behind them and covered both of their legs. He wasn’t cold yet, but he knew Thyon would be soon.

They snuggled together watching the stars come out while drinking their champagne. Thyon smiled softly the entire time because Ruza had called him darling. No one had ever used a term of endearment for him before and it was giving him a lot of _feelings_ , most of them were warm and fuzzy.

“Ready to resume training tomorrow?” Ruza asked when his glass was empty.

“I’m ready to watch you work up a sweat in a leather vest,” Thyon suggested.

Ruza laughed, “You do know it won’t be just the two of us right? I’m not sure everyone else will appreciate it if you drool over me the entire time.”

“They probably won’t notice. They’ll be busy training,” Thyon countered.

“You should be busy training too. Not staring at me.”

“You’re asking the impossible. Stop being so outrageously good looking and I’ll stop staring.”

Ruza’s grin was just about visible in the moonlight. “I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much that you think I’m so attractive you can’t stop staring. Do try to pay attention tomorrow, though. Otherwise you may never hear the end of it from Tzara.”

“Mmm I’ll try. Now be quiet and kiss me because we have to go to bed soon in order to get up at silly o’clock for training.”


	15. Everything you do turns me on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thyon's lust for Ruza finally overwhelms his inhibitions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is literally a chapter of smut. So fair warning - if that's not your thing, scroll immediately to the notes at the end for the TL;DR (you can maybe read the first couple of paragraphs). Also more fair warning - this is literally the first smut I've ever written so I have no idea if its too much/not enough or good/bad or even so-bad-its-good. 
> 
> If smut is your thing then have a happy almost new year - this is for you 😘

Thyon was soaking his aching muscles in the bath after lunch the next day. Training had been difficult and tiring, but he much preferred it to the other morning activity, which was fishing. At least with part of the crew down on De Aarde fishing Rook and Werran could be kept separate. And since it was Werran who insisted on running the training that also meant that Rook was away from Ruza because despite their truce at the spa, things were still tense between them too. Thyon was pretty impressed with himself that he managed to stay focused and not stare at Ruza the entire time, but it wasn’t easy. Realizing he could be spending time alone with Ruza now, he hurried up and finished washing.

After dressing Thyon knocked on the door between their rooms. He heard Ruza shout, “Come in!” although it sounded far away. He slid the door open and found an empty room; the bright mid-day sunlight was streaming through the small gap in the curtains, lighting up the entire room. Thyon was about to head over to the balcony when Ruza walked out of his bathing room, still wet and glistening with water from his bath, and naked. Thyon could feel his eyes go wide and his pulse quicken. Ruza was holding his towel lengthwise along his body and drying his hair, so Thyon wasn’t seeing much more than when they were at the spa but the knowledge that Ruza was naked was thrilling.

“Hey, you were quicker than me for once,” Ruza stated nonchalantly. He turned and headed towards his dresser and Thyon stared at his naked backside. Drops of water were still dotted across Ruza’s back, ass, and thighs, and Thyon desperately wanted to lick them off.

His lascivious thoughts were startling in their strength and so Thyon stepped back until he felt the reassuring presence of the wall behind him, never once taking his eyes off of Ruza. “Should I go?” he finally sputtered.

“Only if you want to,” Ruza replied, tossing his towel on the bench as he walked by it. Ruza quickly looked behind him to see if Thyon had left, when he saw that he hadn’t a sly smile appeared.

Thyon didn’t reply because he had lost the ability of speech and coherent thought. He was too busy watching Ruza’s gorgeously muscular thighs and ass moving as he walked. Desire flooded all of his senses and he felt a powerful need. When Ruza bent over to open his drawer, Thyon had to clamp his hand over his mouth because he nearly moaned at the sight. It was the hottest thing he had ever seen and his dick responded appropriately. He clutched at the doorframe behind him with his free hand, both to steady himself and also to stop his hand from doing the thing it most wanted to do right now, palm his growing erection through his trousers. He watched as Ruza put on his undershorts, slowly, ever so slowly, and somehow he managed to make putting clothes _on_ as sensual as taking them _off_. Thyon gripped the doorframe tighter and bit his lower lip.

When Ruza turned around he had a wicked grin of delight on his face. He put one hand on his hip and the other he swept down his body. “Like what you see?” he asked, his voice rough and raspy.

Thyon nodded affirmative. “Very. Much,” he managed to gasp out. Ruza’s smile was positively feral, and Thyon caught a predatory glint in his eyes. That look went straight to Thyon’s dick – his trousers were getting tight and uncomfortable and he was pretty sure that Ruza could tell. He hoped so. “Come here,” he commanded. 

Ruza stalked over to Thyon and as soon as he was close enough, Thyon grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a kiss. This kiss was different from all of their previous kisses. This kiss was hot, and needy, full of passion and desire. This kiss lacked grace, but neither of them cared about that. Their tongues and teeth clashed in their haste to taste each other. Ruza had one hand on Thyon’s neck, tugging lightly at Thyon’s hair and the other was pressed against his shoulder, pinning Thyon against the wall. It felt amazing but Thyon needed more. His hands roamed down Ruza’s back, alternating pulling him closer and feeling their way down. When he got to Ruza’s waist he kept going, his desire for Ruza was burning hot and overpowering all of his inhibitions. He grabbed Ruza’s ass with both hands and pulled the warrior’s hips against his own. They were both panting now and Thyon let out a low moan when he felt Ruza’s hard cock pressing against his own. He felt intense pleasure from not only the friction that being pressed together was providing, but also from the knowledge that Ruza was hard already – and he was the cause.

“If you were wearing more clothes, I would have torn them off by now,” Thyon breathed as he flipped them around and pinned Ruza to the wall. Ruza nipped at his ear and when Thyon rutted into him they both gasped in pleasure.

“Then why are you still wearing so much?” Ruza growled as he grabbed Thyon’s ass.

“You’re right, its bad manners,” Thyon responded as he pulled his shirt off and dropped it on the floor. Ruza yanked at the buttons on Thyon’s trousers and Thyon pulled them off too, tossing them aside. He couldn’t bear to be not touching Ruza for so long so as soon as his trousers were off he pushed his body back against Ruza’s and kissed him wildly, feverishly. Ruza’s hands were at his hips pulling them closer together as if their bodies pressed tight weren’t close enough. Thyon, in a brief moment of lucidity, was overjoyed that Ruza’s desire was so evident, there was no mistaking it, and no room for doubts in Thyon’s mind; consequently, he realized that Ruza was correct, he knew without a doubt that he was ready for the next step.

Thyon pulled away from their kiss and hooked his thumbs in the waist of Ruza’s undershorts. He gazed into Ruza’s gorgeous hazel eyes and asked, “May I?”

That fire that he noticed earlier returned to Ruza’s eyes and an absolutely feline smile spread across his face. “Please do,” he encouraged, his voice low and rough.

They continued gazing into each other’s eyes as Thyon slowly undid the drawstrings, with slightly trembling hands. Once the drawstring was undone, he grasped the waistband with both hands and pulled them down, his hands flat against Ruza’s muscular thighs. At the knees he let go and they fell to the floor. Thyon’s breath hitched the moment he laid eyes upon Ruza’s cock. It was perfect, though Thyon had no point of reference except his own, but he was absolutely certain that Ruza’s cock was perfection. It was about the same length as Thyon’s, but thicker, and very erect. Thyon wasn’t entirely sure what the etiquette in these situations was, if he was being rude by staring, but the look on Ruza’s face assured him that it was ok. Thyon stepped closer to Ruza and caressed his hips and lower abdomen, wanting to commit every detail to memory. “Have I ever told you how gorgeous you are?” he whispered into Ruza’s ear.

“Mmm, me or my cock?” Ruza whispered back while running his hands down Thyon’s back to his waist.

Thyon nipped at Ruza’s neck, then licked the spot he had bit and replied, “All of you. Which yes, includes your perfect cock.”

Ruza laughed at that. “And here I was thinking that you were the one with the perfect body.” He squeezed Thyon’s ass then brought his hands to the drawstrings of his undershorts. “May I take these off?”

“You may. They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so technically we can both be correct,” Thyon quipped. He felt the cool air before he registered that Ruza was staring at him and now that the tables were turned a blush crept up his face. He pulled Ruza back up and into a kiss. Now that they were both naked Thyon’s hearts started racing with nervousness. Ruza, sensing Thyon’s distress, kissed him slow and sensuously, pulling their bodies together and reminding Thyon of his desire.

Thyon’s body responded to Ruza’s touch and he was flooded with desire once more – his body craved friction but his need to touch Ruza won out. Many of his erotic dreams started with this moment, but of course none of them could hold a candle to the real thing. He pulled his hips back so that he could reach in between their bodies and caress Ruza’s cock. It was delightfully silky soft and heavy in his hand.

Ruza broke their kiss, tipped his head back, and moaned, and it was an even more debauched sound than the ones from Thyon’s dreams. It ignited a fire of passion within Thyon and his caresses turned from light and playful to confident and firm. “Gods Thyon…” Ruza gasped when he pulled his foreskin back and swirled his thumb over the head. “You’re so perfect… Ohhh that feels amazing.” Ruza’s mouth came crashing back to Thyon’s and as they kissed Ruza walked them over to his bed.

They tumbled into bed and Thyon ended up on his back with Ruza on top, which was a delight because he could touch more of Ruza’s body this way while they kissed. Thyon loved the feel of Ruza on top of him; the weight and the skin-to-skin contact felt like the answer to a question he hadn’t even known to ask. It felt so good, and so right that Thyon amended his list of things he’d like to be doing every night with Ruza from kissing to naked kissing.

Then Ruza pulled away and Thyon chased him with his lips. When it became clear that the kiss was over, he pouted, “Where are you going?”

Ruza brushed Thyon’s lips with his thumb, then dragged his thumb down his chin, neck, and chest slowly until he reached Thyon’s nipple. He brushed the pad of this thumb in circles around Thyon’s nipple until it was hard. “I have been desperate to taste you from the minute you took your shirt off and I am done waiting,” he breathed.

Thyon gasped and his cock twitched in anticipation.

Ruza lightly pinched Thyon’s nipple, then rolled the hard bud between his fingers watching Thyon come undone. From Thyon’s initial look of surprise, he guessed that he had no idea the pleasure that could be wrought from nipples. He was elated that he was the one to show him these things.

“Oh… Ohhhh…” Thyon threw his head back and moaned. No one had told him about the erotic delights of nipples; he suspected he wouldn’t have believed it anyhow. He had thought that these vestigial appendages were useless, but clearly he was wrong again. It felt like lightning was shooting down his spine straight into his dick. It was sublime torture – his dick was aching to be touched.

Ruza dragged his thumb down to Thyon’s hip and Thyon couldn’t stop himself from pleading, “Yes! Please!”

Ruza chuckled and continued to caress Thyon’s hips and thighs, everywhere except where he needed it the most. “Patience my darling,” he crooned. He trailed kisses from Thyon’s hips to his thighs and started lightly stroking the shaft of Thyon’s cock. He hadn’t expected Thyon to be so vocal and uninhibited and the debauched noises of pleasure that Thyon was making were the best aphrodisiac he’d ever encountered.

When he felt like he had tortured Thyon enough, Ruza pulled back Thyon’s foreskin and licked from the base to the tip. He wanted to make this amazing for Thyon and his responding groan and cock twitch sent shivers down Ruza’s spine. Ruza held his cock firmly at the base and continued to lick up the length of it several times before taking the head into his mouth. He swirled his tongue over the head of Thyon’s cock while gently moving his hand up and down at the base, enjoying the taste and feel of him.

Thyon’s whole body was vibrating with pleasure. At first, the sensation of Ruza’s mouth around his cock was a bit weird, but very quickly it became the most incredible sensation he had ever experienced. Everything about this experience was better and more intensely pleasurable than even his wildest dreams.

Ruza could hear Thyon panting and when he looked up he saw both fists were grasping the blanket, his head tipped back and eyes closed, and on his face a look of pure ecstasy. As if he could feel the weight of Ruza’s gaze, Thyon looked down and their eyes met. While holding Thyon’s gaze, Ruza began licking Thyon’s frenulum.

Having never felt pleasure so intense as this, Thyon thought he might combust or explode. “Fuck… Ruza…” he moaned, closing his eyes again so he could focus on the sensations. Thyon had mistakenly thought that sex would feel similar to pleasuring himself with his hand, but he was deliriously happy to have been so wrong. Pleasuring himself is nice, and scratched a certain itch in the mind, but it was barely comparable to the fire of ecstasy he was currently experiencing. He’d never taken any mind-altering drugs, but if they felt anything like this he could see the appeal. At some point Ruza began to bob up and down, taking as much of Thyon’s cock as he could while using his hand for the rest. Thyon was completely lost in this pleasure, he moaned and babbled for how long he couldn’t say; time was immaterial and eternal while his dick was in Ruza’s mouth.

Eventually he felt his pleasure reaching its crescendo. “I’m close, Ruza. So close,” he managed to say. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but Ruza enthusiastically increased the pace and Thyon knew that he was done for. His whole body sang with pleasure, his orgasm was so intense that his vision whited out and the world seemed far away.

Ruza continued sucking all the way through Thyon’s orgasm, swallowing every drop of his delicious come, then he kissed Thyon’s hip and slid up the bed so they were side by side. Thyon looked thoroughly fucked and Ruza loved that he had done that to him. He ran his fingers through Thyon’s hair and waited for him to come down off his high.

When Thyon returned to his body from the state of nirvana that he had reached, he felt so much love and affection for Ruza that he nearly confessed his feelings. Reigning himself in, he turned to his side and said instead, “That was sublime.”

Ruza’s face lit up in happiness, “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he replied.

“Immensely. And now I would very much like to give you the same pleasure.” Thyon pulled Ruza in for a kiss, not caring that he could taste himself on Ruza’s tongue. In fact, he found it kind of hot and he briefly wondered if he was deranged. His hand went to Ruza’s ass, pulling them close together, and he felt Ruza’s dick harden between them again as they kissed. He let Ruza rut into him a couple of times before he pushed the warrior onto his back. Thyon wasn’t exactly sure what to do but he figured if he copied the things Ruza had done to him, it should work out.

While licking one nipple and gently pinching the other, Thyon understood why Ruza had teased him for so long. It was immensely fun to elicit noises of pleasure from Ruza and watch him get blissed out. Thyon kissed and nibbled his way down Ruza’s torso, discovering the places that he was ticklish and the places that he seemed to enjoy the most. It was fascinating, watching Ruza’s perfectly sculpted muscles writhe in pleasure.

By the time he reached Ruza’s thighs with his kisses, Ruza’s dick was dripping with pre-come and he desperately wanted to taste it. He copied what Ruza had done to him and when he licked up the length of Ruza’s dick, he looked up to see Ruza watching him. Then Ruza grabbed more pillows and stuffed them behind his head before saying, “I want to watch you.”

Those words went straight to Thyon’s dick and he groaned as he felt his arousal growing once more. He licked all the pre-come off before taking Ruza’s cock into his mouth and swirling his tongue around. It tasted better than he had imagined, in fact, he was enjoying the taste, which was good because he had worried that he wouldn’t like it and would have to force himself to continue just for Ruza’s sake. Instead of being weird or unpleasant, everything they were doing was hot and sexy and fun and almost overwhelmingly good.

Ruza was watching his fantasy for the past several months unfold right before his eyes and it was even hotter than he imagined. He needed to feel close to Thyon, so he put his hands on his head, his fingers tangling in Thyon’s hair. “Is this ok?” he asked.

“Mmhmm,” Thyon hummed onto his dick, sending waves of pleasure through Ruza.

The sight of Thyon enthusiastically sucking his dick, and enjoying it, was driving Ruza wild. He remembered he had promised to use dirty language, and decided he’d try and see if it was something Thyon was into. “Oh my darling, you look so fucking hot sucking my dick,” Ruza crooned.

Thyon didn’t know how, or why, but Ruza’s dirty praise combined with his delicious dick in Thyon’s mouth lit a fire inside of him. It turned out that he loved pleasuring Ruza just as much as he love receiving pleasure – he was just as, if not more aroused now than he had been earlier and his dick was achingly hard again. He moaned, taking as much of Ruza’s dick in his mouth as would fit. He used his hand at the base, just like Ruza had done and tried to get the motion of his mouth and hand in sync, but he was finding it difficult.

“I think… Ohhh yes. That you are enjoying this a bit too much. Here, like this,” Ruza panted as he tightened his grip on Thyon’s hair and set the pace. “Ahhh just like that my darling.”

Thyon moaned again and he couldn’t believe how much Ruza’s words were affecting him. He briefly stroked his own dick, desperate for relief. A gentle tug on his hair reminded him to focus on the task at hand – giving Ruza the orgasm that he deserved. He let go of his own dick and instead concentrated on Ruza’s pleasure, maintaining the pace that he had set earlier.

Before long Ruza was gasping, “I’m close.”

Thyon quickened his pace slightly until Ruza’s “Ohs” turned into a scream and warm come filled his mouth. He swallowed every bit watching as Ruza slumped back on the bed with a look of pure ecstasy on his face. Thyon placed a couple of soft, reverent kisses to Ruza’s hips and reveled in the satisfaction of giving Ruza so much pleasure that he had _screamed_.

His dick was begging for attention, but he didn’t want to disturb Ruza’s post-orgasm bliss, so he lay beside Ruza and gently stroked himself.

Feeling the vibrations of Thyon’s movement, Ruza opened his eyes and turned to watch Thyon. “Your refractory period is criminally short,” he teased, pinching Thyon’s nipple.

Thyon turned to look at Ruza and responded, “You have only yourself to blame. Everything you do turns me on.”

Ruza laughed, “I would offer to dial down the sexy but I don’t think either of us wants that.” Ruza moved closer to Thyon and teased his nipples some more. “Instead, why don’t you let me take care of this?” He brushed Thyon’s hand aside and took hold of his dick, stroking it slowly and firmly.

“Yeah… Oh… Yeah…” Thyon gasped out. As soon as Ruza was touching him he felt like lightning and fire again. How could it be so drastically different when they were both using hands? But Ruza’s hand was better? He updated his daily evening agenda from just naked kissing to naked kissing plus orgasms. He had to close his eyes and focus on the sensations because his brain was overloaded. A low moan escaped his lips when Ruza started licking and sucking on his nipple – it felt so amazing that Thyon thought he might pass out from pleasure overload.

And then Thyon felt a brief moment of intense pain followed by intense pleasure because Ruza had bit him! Thyon gasped from surprise. His orgasm snuck up on him and he yelled nearly as loud as Ruza had earlier when he came. His chest was covered in his own come but he felt completely boneless and totally undone. There was no way he could move to do anything about it. He felt truly depraved then considering that Ruza had bit his nipple and he had loved it so much that it had immediately sent him over the edge. He tried not to think about it right now, but he was a bit embarrassed.

His thoughts were interrupted by Ruza, who was standing next to the bed and chuckling softly, “You’ve made quite the mess.” Thyon was so overcome with exhaustion and hadn’t noticed that Ruza had got off the bed. Then he wiped down Thyon’s chest and abdomen with a warm washcloth. When he was done he placed a few soft kisses on Thyon’s chest, and Thyon sighed contentedly.

He felt extremely grateful to have such a caring lover, so he forced himself to stay awake until Ruza rejoined him on the bed. “You’re amazing,” he murmured when Ruza spooned him.

“So are you darling,” Ruza whispered in his ear and then kissed his shoulder. Seconds later Thyon was out like a light and Ruza followed quickly after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TL:DR without the smut: Ruza purposely walks out of his bathing room after a bath in just a towel, Thyon is gobsmacked by his own lust, there is consent, they have mind-blowingly good oral sex. There's some tender moments and they both feel the feelings, but neither of them admit their love for the other. They kind of both know it at this point though. Then they fall asleep.


	16. Surrounded by a bunch of lovesick fools

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of fluff and a bit of angsty Thyon plus some gossip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! Here's hoping that 2021 is better than 2020 for everyone. 
> 
> This chapter is short because I'm trying to keep the smut separate (there's no actual smut in this one, just Thyon thinking mildly smutty thoughts).

Ruza’s alarm rang out and jolted him and Thyon awake.

“What time is it?” mumbled Thyon.

“Two o’clock. We’ll have to get up soon – we’ve both got things we’re supposed to be doing this afternoon,” Ruza replied, his voice indicating that he was more awake than Thyon.

Thyon rolled over and snuggled close to Ruza. “Ten more minutes,” he murmured.

Ruza kissed the top of Thyon’s head and murmured, “Sure.” He wrapped his arms around Thyon and traced soothing patterns along his back. Sleepy Thyon, when he had just woken up but he didn’t want to be awake so he snuggled with Ruza, was adorable and precious. It filled Ruza with joy and love every time, every time that sleepy Thyon snuggled him and it turned out that post-sex naked sleepy Thyon was even cuter. He wished they could stay here like this forever.

Approximately 8 minutes later Thyon shifted position and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “How am I supposed to just go back to our scheduled afternoon activities after _that_?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that cataloging the fish that were caught this morning does not sound as enticing as staying here, naked, with you.”

Ruza chuckled softly. He had hoped that Thyon would enjoy sex as much as he did and was pleasantly surprised by the turn of events. Considering his lack of previous intimacy he had thought it might take some time before Thyon was comfortable enough to want regular sex or voice his desire. He was delighted to be proved wrong on that. “I would _love_ to spend the rest of the day naked with you,” he beamed, kissing the top of Thyon’s head. “However, if we abandoned our afternoon chores in favor of sex, you know that Calixte would figure it out somehow and we’d never hear the end of it. Sadly, I think the best course of action is to get dressed and go about our day. It’s only three-and-half-hours until dinner and after we’ve eaten we can make our excuses to leave.” Ruza brushed back Thyon’s hair and kissed his forehead.

Thyon sighed dramatically. “Fine, you’re right. But just know that internally, I’m protesting.”

“Duly noted,” Ruza said and laughed heartily. He looked at Thyon with absolute adoration; he was falling more in love with his gorgeous golden alchemist every day and soon Thyon would own every part of his heart and soul. It was slightly terrifying to be this vulnerable, but he trusted him with his life.

Thyon slowly pulled away from Ruza and stretched his arms to try and chase the sleep away before getting out of bed. There was a moment when Ruza bent to pick up his undershorts from off the floor that Thyon nearly lost it and tackled him. But instead he scooped up his clothes and got dressed. He returned to his own room to get socks and shoes and brushed his teeth while he was there. When he wandered back to Ruza’s room he could hear him brushing his teeth as well.

Ruza finished up and on their way out of his door he turned around and pulled Thyon into a kiss. “Just remember, only four and a half hours until we get to be naked with each other again.”

“You’re such a horrible tease,” Thyon whispered and kissed Ruza.

Ruza pulled back and replied, “You like it.” Then he turned around and started down the corridor. Thyon smiled to himself because it was true, he did like it. He liked everything Ruza did.

At the gallery they kissed goodbye and Ruza headed to the map room while Thyon headed to the laboratory. Sarai and Feral were already there when Thyon arrived, and the fish were spread out on top of heaps of snow across the longest lab bench. Feral had a list from Kiska of the local names for each fish and it indicated that all of them were edible.

Thyon drew some diagrams on the chalkboard to explain fish anatomy and the sorts of things Feral should pay attention to in his notes and then he showed him the various measurements to make. Thyon had never been particularly interested in natural history or the biological sciences, but he had had a well-rounded education, so he knew what sort of observations to instruct Feral to make. And besides, Feral was enthusiastic about learning everything so it more than made up for the boring subject matter.

Sarai meanwhile busied herself with making accurate illustrations of the different types of fishes, using pencils with colored lead that she had purchased at the market. Thyon thought her artwork wasn’t as good as the images in the books of the Great Library of Zosma, but they were better than anything that he or Feral could do, and with time and practice she would improve.

Thyon brought out his set of magnifying lenses so that they could all look at the intricate details such as scales and eyes. Even he had to admit that these fish were particularly interesting to look at; they were very long, 70–80 cm each, with pale silvery scales on the belly and dark silver scales on the top. That’s where the similarities stopped and according to the locals they had caught males and females of three different species. One species was speckled, and one had colorful stripes running parallel to the lateral line, and one had both speckles and a single wide red stripe.

Once Thyon had showed them everything that he had planned, and they settled into the comfortable quiet of doing the work of observation and recording, sitting on stools around the bench, Thyon’s mind drifted back to his earlier rendezvous with Ruza. Every cell of his body and every thought of his mind yearned to be with Ruza again. He had thought that intimacy and sex would quiet the yearning that he felt when he was away from him, but it turned out, it only made it worse. The tug that he had been feeling from his hearts and gut, like invisible strings that tied them together, was stronger the further apart they were and now, there was a tug in his groin as well. As if being intimate had only further intertwined their souls. Thyon was discovering that there were a lot of things in life that he’d been wrong about and all of them had to do with relationships.

Being intimate with Ruza was like an addiction, he desperately wanted more. He was trying, and failing, to not think of Ruza’s dick and how lovely it was when it was in his mouth. Was it deranged to crave Ruza’s dick? Was it weird that he enjoyed giving Ruza pleasure? Was it bizarre that the hour they had spent naked together was the highlight of his entire life? Was it normal that he only ever felt at peace when he was with Ruza? Thyon wondered if this is how everyone in relationships felt all the time, or if this was specific to falling in love. That was something he had become certain of in the past day or so – he was falling in love with Ruza. The realization didn’t come with nervousness or fear; instead it calmed him, probably because he was certain that Ruza felt the same way. 

A blue hand passed before his face and Thyon jumped, startled. Feral and Sarai were both looking at him and laughing.

“Hello? Yoo-hoo, anyone home Thyon?” Sarai teased.

“Oh sorry, I was just thinking of some things,” Thyon was flustered to be caught out while daydreaming.

“I think we all know you mean some _one,_ ” Sarai smirked.

“What, hey… I…” Thyon ran his hand through his hair and squeezed the back of his neck. “How did you know?” he asked.

Feral and Sarai started laughing even harder than before.

“Both you and Ruza have the same soft smile and far away look in your eyes when you’re thinking about each other,” Feral said.

“It’s the same look anyone gets on their face when they’re falling in love.” Sarai explained kindly. “After awhile it’s not that difficult to recognize when you’ve been surrounded by a bunch of lovesick fools for months.”

“I’m not _in love_ ,” Thyon insisted, but his voice had none of the malice that he had intended.

Sarai started laughing and Feral was looking at Thyon like he’d sprouted an extra eye or something. “Thyon, you can deny it all you want, but that won’t make it any less true,” Sarai chided. “You know its ok to love people right? It’s a normal thing that people do, love one another.”

Wanting to change the subject, Thyon thought about the other words that Sarai had used which were perplexing him. “What did you mean by ‘A bunch?” he asked.

“Oh, practically everyone on this ship is in love with someone else. Everywhere you go people are daydreaming with silly grins or clandestinely kissing in dark corners.” Sarai elbowed Feral in the ribs as if to implicate him in that last statement.

“Oww,” Feral complained. “You’re one to talk! You and Lazlo were the same way when he first got here. You still are.”

Thyon was looking back and forth between the two of them wide-eyed and open-mouthed. He really had been distracted lately. “Feral, are you and Kiska together?”

“More or less,” he shrugged.

“Does everyone know about this but me?” Thyon queried, relieved that he had at least guessed the correct person.

“No I don’t think everyone knows. It started out secret because we were worried about Ruby’s reaction, but even though she’s preoccupied with Werran now…” Feral shrugged again. “I suppose we’ll be open about it at some point, but I’m letting Kiska make that decision.”

Thyon nodded, then looked at Sarai. “You said almost everyone. Who else is involved that I’ve missed?”

“Ah well that’s where the problems are coming from. Not everyone is _involved_ with the person they love,” Sarai hinted with a knowing look.

Thyon furrowed his brows. “Is that why Rook and Werran have been getting into it?”

“We think so. According to Kiska, Rook and Werran used to fool around, often spending the night together. She thinks Rook fell in love, but Werran didn’t. However, Rook never actually told Werran how he felt, so he must have assumed it was just experimental or something and not known. Especially since both of them occasionally took women to bed as well.” Feral explained.

“When Sparrow saw him flirting with you, we think that was Rook trying to move on,” Sarai continued. “But he didn’t notice what was clear to the rest of us, that you and Ruza were totally smitten, so when you two announced your relationship, I think he took it particularly hard. And he’s been angry ever since.”

“Does Sparrow know all of this?” Thyon asked.

“She knows as much as I do. More even. She explained to us why Ruza and Rook don’t get along,” Sarai confirmed. “And honestly that’s fair. I don’t think I would like it if someone had been flirting with Lazlo in front of me.”

“This is all rather messy,” Thyon stated, rubbing the back of his neck and slightly distressed to be in the middle of all this chaos, albeit unknowingly for the most part. “Maybe someone should speak to Rook, his anger is likely to fester and get out of control if we just leave him to stew.” This whole talking to people about their feelings thing was still rather new to Thyon, but he had observed the benefits often enough over the past several months to suggest it now.

“Suheyla spoke to him yesterday about the fight and breaking the house rules, I expect she also tried to talk to him about all of this. I think Kiska was going to try and talk to him this morning while they were fishing as well,” Feral looked pensive and then sighed loudly. “I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see if things get better.”

Thyon was frowning, thinking about how messy and illogical relationships were, and how inconvenient it was that people were arguing and not just, getting along, when Sarai started laughing again.

“Don’t look so dour, Thyon. At least no one is trying to kill us, or selling us into slavery, and you have plenty of good food to eat. A little bit of relationship drama is just that, a bit of drama.” 

“I suppose you’re right. Things could be much worse,” he smiled at them. Then he glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost time for dinner. He really had lost track of time thinking about Ruza. He looked down at his notebook and it was almost completely blank. So much for helping record the observations. “Uhh, I’m afraid I didn’t record much. How far did you both get?”

“Not to worry!” Feral flashed him a smile. “I’m nearly finished, only one fish left.”

“Me too,” Sarai added. “Why don’t you take the fish we’re finished with to the icebox in the kitchen?”

“Good idea.” Thyon agreed. “Feral, you should also add notes on the colour, consistency, and taste of the fish when they’re cooked so try to coordinate with whoever is cooking dinner so you know which is which.”

“Sure thing,” Feral responded, already busy with the next set of measurements.

Thyon packed up as many of the fish as he could carry and headed to the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thyon wouldn't be Thyon without a bit of gay panic...
> 
> Thyon: Gods I love Ruza’s dick.  
> Thyon: Oh no, I’m deranged. Ruza is going to be totally weirded out by me.  
> Meanwhile:  
> Ruza: Gods I love Thyon’s dick. And he sure does seem to like mine. This is amazing; we’re perfect for each other. 
> 
> Later:  
> Thyon: Oh no, I’m deranged.  
> Ruza: Thyon is a sex god - this is going so well.


	17. A well-known physics thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thyon and Ruza can barely contain their desire for one another and quickly head back to Ruza's room for some after dinner privacy. And sex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a smutty chapter, it starts ~paragraph 16. It's also a little bit kinkier than the previous ones so heads up. There's lots of fluff and feelings throughout and a bit of angst too.

At dinner Kiska announced that while fishing, they had received a message from Johanna van Gogh that she had arranged for a tailor to take their measurements to make them appropriate attire for the gala. They were expected at her estate tomorrow at 11 am – all 14 of them. No one seemed too keen on all of them being in her house at the same time, they still weren’t sure if they could trust the triumvirate. So dinner took longer than usual, to the annoyance of both Thyon and Ruza, because everyone was debating the best course of action. In the end they decided that Ruza and Tzara would wear their hreshteks, Kiska would wear her throwing knives, and everyone else would wear necklaces and bracelets of mesarthium so that Lazlo could make anything they might need.

When their plans were finally settled, Thyon looked to Ruza, who inclined his head towards the door and smirked. With a wicked smile of delight Thyon poured more wine in his and Ruza’s glasses, and they headed out of the gallery.

“Where are you two sneaking off to?” Calixte demanded before they could make it out the door.

“To relax with a glass of wine and watch the sun set and the stars come out. It’s what we do now,” Ruza retorted.

“You can do that in the garden, don’t need to hide in your room.”

“We’re not hiding. We’re spending time together, in private. I’m sure you can appreciate the difference,” Thyon dismissed Calixte and she made a goofy face at him. Then he wrapped his arm around Ruza and they left.

When they were halfway down the corridor and away from prying eyes, Thyon’s hand slipped lower and he grabbed Ruza’s ass.

Ruza laughed, and then he pushed Thyon up against the nearest wall and kissed him greedily. Thyon was about to drop his wine glass when Ruza pulled away and his senses returned. “Eager to get back?” Ruza teased.

“Is that a bad thing?” Thyon breathed into Ruza’s ear, his breath sending shivers down Ruza’s spine.

“No, quite the opposite,” Ruza winked as he backed away from Thyon.

Thyon slipped his free hand into Ruza’s and they walked as fast as possible back to Ruza’s room.

When they were in the room with the door closed and latched, Thyon took both their glasses and set them on the dresser and pulled Ruza into a kiss. He felt like he had been waiting an eternity to be alone with Ruza again and he poured all of his want into this kiss. Ruza was returning the kiss with such equal passion that Thyon had a rock hard erection within minutes. They were both throwing bits and pieces of clothing off, in between kisses, as they headed towards the bed.

They were about to topple into bed, when Ruza pulled away. “One second!” he blurted while running, naked, to the other side of the room. He pulled back the curtain forcefully and then pushed the door to the balcony all the way open. He joined a giggling Thyon on the bed.

“You’re ridiculous,” Thyon chided when his giggles had subsided.

Ruza had been kissing his way up from Thyon’s waist to his lips. “You’ll thank me later. It was too hot and stuffy in here,” he murmured before kissing him greedily again, as if unable to contain his passion.

Thyon pushed Ruza onto his back and then hovered above him. He palmed Ruza’s dick and groaned, “Do you know I’ve been trying, and failing, all afternoon to _not_ think about sucking your dick.”

Ruza pushed his hips up into Thyon’s hand trying to get more friction. “Do you know, that’s the hottest thing anyone has ever said to me,” Ruza breathed, his voice low and deep. Then Thyon was at his nipples, gently pinching, licking, and nibbling on them and Ruza was already moaning and lost in pleasure. He desperately needed Thyon’s mouth on his cock right now, so he tangled his hands in Thyon’s hair and tugged back gently. “No more teasing,” he ordered, a bit harsher than he intended.

Thyon however, gasped, closed his eyes and rutted into Ruza’s leg. Thyon didn’t want to think about why all of that had lit a fire inside of him, he just knew he wanted more of it.

Ruza tugged on Thyon’s hair again and watched for his reaction. “If you like that, I’ll keep doing it,” he said.

Thyon, not trusting his voice, nodded an enthusiastic yes, for which he was rewarded with another gentle tug on his hair. In return, he grasped Ruza’s dick, pulled the foreskin back, gently squeezed the base and took the head into his mouth. Ruza moaned loudly, and started babbling things like ‘yes’ and ‘so good’ when Thyon started licking and sucking around the head of his dick. Thyon was delighted to discover that he enjoyed sucking Ruza’s dick even more this time, because he knew what to expect and what to do. When he enjoyed something, his perfectionism, attention to detail, attentiveness and enthusiasm couldn’t be matched and Ruza was currently reaping all of the benefits.

The setting sun was blinding Thyon’s eyes, so he pulled off briefly to reposition himself. As he did, Ruza grabbed all the pillows and stuffed them behind his back. Thyon’s golden hair was practically glowing in the sunlight and Ruza couldn’t get enough of the sight – it looked like his cock was in the mouth of a god. He put his hands back in Thyon’s hair and tugged gently, the moan he elicited vibrated down his whole cock and felt amazing. His hips twitched a bit in response, but he caught himself before he made a full-on thrust.

Ruza was loving the erotic scene before him and he couldn’t help himself, he needed Thyon to know. “Oh fuck you look so gorgeous with my dick in your mouth.”

Thyon’s eyes flashed open and as they locked eyes he smiled at Ruza before enthusiastically redoubling his efforts. He loved that Ruza was so lost in bliss that he was now erratically tugging on Thyon’s hair and repeating “Fuck yes” and “So good darling.” He glanced up at Ruza and saw that he was still watching, so when their eyes met, he held his gaze and made a show of smiling while hungrily, greedily, taking as much of his cock down his throat and it sent Ruza right over the edge. Ruza moaned loudly when he came and Thyon swallowed all of it, feeling the satisfaction and joy of success.

It took some minutes before Ruza’s panting slowed to normal breathing and when it did he turned to Thyon with a look of absolute joy on his face. “That was incredible. You’re incredible,” he breathed.

“Really?” Thyon asked, his disbelief evident. He had hoped that it was good, Ruza’s moaning had to mean he was doing some things right, but his inexperience meant that he was still unsure as to how good.

“Yes really. That was the best orgasm I’ve ever had. You’re a quick learner and I can scarcely believe that this is real and that you’re all mine.”

Thyon giggled at the absurdity of it all. Best orgasm ever? It was a lot to live up to for next time. “Be careful, I might get arrogant from all these compliments,” he teased, kissing Ruza’s forehead.

“Mmmm you can be as arrogant as you like if you keep sucking my dick on a regular basis.”

Thyon blushed, and in order to stop himself from saying something embarrassing like admitting just how much he loved Ruza’s dick, or just how often he would like to taste it (at least once every day), he kissed him softly on the lips.

Ruza, who had noticed the blush, returned the kiss equally soft, at first. He let his hand roam freely along Thyon’s body, caressing him gently, until Thyon was tugging on Ruza’s hips, practically begging for more contact. Their kiss deepened and when Ruza grabbed a handful of Thyon’s hair and pulled gently, Thyon grabbed his ass and rutted into him. Ruza pushed Thyon back into the bed and reached his hand down to give Thyon the friction that he craved. In response, Thyon broke their kiss and tipped his head back and moaned.

This, Ruza decided, was now on his list of favorite things in the universe: watching Thyon come completely undone from the pleasure that he was giving him. He stroked Thyon slowly, without much pressure, wanting this to last as long as possible for him. Ruza’s lips found their way to Thyon’s nipple, and he licked and sucked, listening to all the delightful noises of ecstasy that Thyon was making. Remembering what happened earlier, he bit Thyon’s nipple, not too hard though, and Thyon’s loud moan of “Fuuucckkk, yes” cemented in Ruza’s mind the notion that his beloved enjoyed his pleasure with a side of pain.

Continuing his slow pace of stroking Thyon’s cock, Ruza moved over to give his other nipple attention. When he bit this one, Thyon shouted “Harder!” and for the first time in many years, Ruza was stunned silent. He couldn’t deny that he was enjoying biting him but he didn’t want to actually hurt Thyon, so he asked “Are you sure?”

Thinking that this was a rejection, and proof that Ruza thought he was completely deranged, Thyon froze. Then he backtracked, “No, its fine. I got a little carried away, never mind. Forget it.”

And Ruza knew immediately that they had finally hit the wall of what Thyon was comfortable with. And it seemed as though asking him to confirm that he liked the things that he liked in bed was beyond the wall in the land of shame. He knew that they were going to have to talk about this in more depth later, but right now… Right now he kissed Thyon on the lips and embraced him tightly. When he felt Thyon’s body relax, he pulled away and whispered into his ear, “I wasn’t rejecting you. I just didn’t want to accidentally hurt you. I needed confirmation that you really wanted that. I might do that from time to time, check in with you, ask you for your consent. Especially when we’re trying new things.” He cupped Thyon’s face in his hand and kissed him lovingly. “If it’s too much, I’ll do something else, ok?”

Thyon nodded. “Ok, yeah sure. Sorry I…” He didn’t get any further because Ruza had pressed his finger to his lips.

“Shhh, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Ruza crooned, moving his hand to the back of Thyon’s neck. “Now be a good boy and kiss me until your dick gets hard again. Because I still want to taste you.” They both surged forward, lips crashing and tongues clashing in their fervor. It was hot and needy and soon Thyon was right back where he most wanted to be: at the mercy of Ruza’s delightful hands and lips and tongue.

This time Ruza skipped the nipples and went straight for Thyon’s cock. He knew what Thyon liked and he gave it enthusiastically. He made sure to tell Thyon that he tasted amazing before taking his whole cock into his mouth and pushing his diminished gag reflex to the limit. Thyon moaned and grasped the sheets, needing something to tether him to this plane of existence. Pleasure flooded his body and knowing that Ruza enjoyed doing this with him made it all the better. Considering that Thyon had been hard for pretty much the entire time that they’d been naked, it didn’t take long before he was coming, loud and hard. Ruza swallowed every last bit, licking Thyon all the way through his orgasm.

While he waited for Thyon to come back to his senses, Ruza thought about how his darling alchemist was definitely into pain play and was also showing signs of interest in being dominated. Both were things that Ruza had next to no experience with but he found the prospect rather enticing – because it could be a thing that was just for them, something they had shared with no one else, but also because Ruza wanted Thyon to have all the pleasure and joy in the universe.

Thyon wasn’t fully with it, but he wanted to be close to Ruza so he wrapped his body around him, resting his head on the warrior’s chest. Ruza snaked his arms around Thyon so he could hold him. Although Thyon was slightly taller, they cuddled like this frequently. Sensing that Thyon was still too blissed out for talking, he ran his fingers through Thyon’s hair while thinking.

Ruza wondered if his enjoyment of pain had anything to do with Thyon cutting himself, surely that was painful, but he had done it enough that it was providing some sort of comfort. Pain and pleasure must be intertwined for him. Regardless the reason, its what he likes so Ruza wanted to explore these things together. And so they were definitely going to talk about this. It would probably embarrass the heck out of Thyon, and he would likely resist talking about it, but if they were going to safely navigate these aspects of sex, then a conversation, or two, or three were needed.

“I feel like I’m floating on clouds and that everything is right in the world,” Thyon mused.

Ruza chuckled. “Glad to hear you enjoyed it.”

“’Enjoyed it’ doesn’t even come close to describing how amazing it was but since I don’t have adequate words either, sure, I enjoyed it.” Thyon propped himself up and kissed Ruza on the cheek. “Are you thirsty? I’m going to get some water.”

“I am. Get me a glass too?”

“Of course.”

Thyon returned from the bathing room to find that Ruza had gone out on the balcony. He set the water glasses down and put on his dressing gown before joining Ruza.

“Thanks,” Ruza said when Thyon handed him the water. “Your wine is on the table. Thought we could watch the stars for a bit since it’s still early.”

Though it was indeed dark and the stars had come out, Thyon had only a vague memory of the sun setting. “What time is it?” he asked sitting on the sofa.

“Quarter past 8,” Ruza replied, taking a seat next to Thyon.

“That’s it?” Thyon asked in disbelief. He put his arm around Ruza and drew him close. “It felt like we spent an eternity naked.”

“Time stops when you’re having great sex. It’s a well-known physics thing. I’m surprised you don’t know about it,” Ruza teased.

Thyon laughed, “That’s absurd. But it does explain a lot. What about bad sex? What happens to time then?”

“I believe it only slows down to a horrible treacle pace for bad sex. It’s just best to avoid it in the first place.”

“Lucky me to be in a relationship with a fantastic lover then.”

Ruza was blindsided by the amount of love and affection that Thyon had put into that one small statement. It was amazing how far they’d come that he just said those things openly now. “Mmmm me too,” Ruza murmured because he couldn’t come up with anything better. He kissed Thyon because he nearly confessed his love and he didn’t want Thyon to think he only loved him because they’d had sex.

When their brief kiss ended, Thyon divulged excitedly, “Oh, speaking of relationships, I haven’t yet told you everything I learned today from Sarai and Feral.”

Ruza plucked his wine glass off the table and said, “I’m listening.”

So Thyon told him almost every detail of the conversation he had had earlier (he left out the bits about Sarai saying he was in love and him denying it because he didn’t want to deny it to Ruza). By the time he finished his story, both of them had finished their wine. They still had half a bottle from the other night so Ruza topped up their glasses while Thyon wrapped himself up in the blanket, not understanding how Ruza could be comfortable in the cold night air in just a dressing gown.

After they were snuggled back on the sofa Ruza remarked, “Well it certainly explains a lot of things. It sucks to be Rook, but that doesn’t mean I like him any better. He should have just talked to Werran. You see, this is what happens when people are foolish enough to let someone they like just slip away because they’re too afraid to talk to each other.”

“Life isn’t always as easy as you’re making it out to be. Come on it took you _ages_ to tell me you liked me.” The part that Thyon left unsaid was that he was pretty sure that Ruza was in love with him, but hadn’t told him yet. Because if he called Ruza out on it, he’d have to admit his own feelings and he wasn’t quite ready for that.

“That’s different. It took you ages to _accept_ that you liked me. They were having sex, that’s already pretty intimate. I fail to see how someone can be comfortable enough to fuck someone but not tell them they caught feelings?”

“Not everyone was born with an over-abundance of courage like you, my dear.” Thyon punctuated his statement with a kiss on Ruza’s temple and the warrior smiled softly to himself because Thyon had finally used an affectionate term for him. “Speaking as an alchemist, I can assure you that people are messy, chaotic, and make absolutely no sense. So don’t even try and impose logic, it’s a futile endeavor.” They both laughed at that.

“Regardless, I hope Rook gets a handle on his anger soon, before anyone gets hurt,” Ruza concluded.

“Agreed.” They snuggled together and watched the stars for a while. Thyon was content to stay there forever; this was, after all, his happy place. But Ruza was busy figuring out how to approach the discussion he knew that they had to have.


	18. Boundaries, and rules, and talking it out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruza coaxes Thyon into having an important discussion about sex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is exactly what it is. Just Ruza and Thyon talking it out. It follows on from the last chapter after maybe 10 mins. I hadn't planned to write this chapter, but it just needed to happen after the previous one, so here it is. Very few chapters exist in almost their original form or are written all in one go, this one is the exception.

Talking to Thyon about feelings was always a little tricky. Ruza had found that he needed to gently guide him towards the conversation, with praise and nice comments so he wouldn’t catch on too quickly, and then once he did hold him hostage until he finally spoke about what was on his mind. He decided to try and employ the same tactic for this conversation because what he wanted to discuss was potentially even more distressing than feelings.

“You know I was a bit worried that you wouldn’t enjoy sex as much as I do. Or want it as often as I do. It was such a pleasant surprise when you told me you’d rather spend your entire afternoon naked with me,” Ruza started.

“Oh? So you don’t think its weird that I _really_ enjoy it?” Thyon asked hesitantly.

“Weird? Gods no, I love it. It’s fucking hot and it sets me on fire. Besides, if it were weird then I’d be weird too and we could be weird together. Because being with you is addicting, I’m not sure my desire for you will ever be sated.”

Thyon blushed and chuckled nervously, and realized he’d been holding his breath. “I’m so happy you feel the same way as me. I was so concerned that my ardour was a bit too much I hadn’t even considered the possibility that the opposite would be a disappointment. I sort of assumed that everyone likes sex.”

“Not so, some people aren’t really into it. Some people enjoy sex, but they don’t seem to want or need it very frequently. And some people, like myself, really enjoy it and want it all the time.”

“How do you know so much?” Thyon interjected.

“Remember I said when I was young we used to have a lot of parties? Well, I never drank as much as my friends because I always had early morning training sessions and people tend to get really talkative and honest when they’re drunk. They almost never remembered the things they told me, on account of the alcohol, but not being drunk meant that I remembered. And honestly, the Tizerkane are just as bad as teenagers, you learn a lot from people if you stay closer to sober than drunk,” he smirked.

Thyon thought for a minute about whether he should admit to it or not, but he had pretty much attacked Ruza twice in one day so his cards were already on the table. At least he knew now that Ruza felt the same. “Well I suppose it’s fortuitous that I appear to be in that last category, because we match.”

“Mmm, we do match. After I left Amezrou I discovered one final category and to be honest, I thought that’s where you would be.” Thyon raised his brows in question so Ruza continued. “Those that enjoy it but were raised in really oppressive cultures so they think it’s shameful and as a consequence they try to force themselves to not enjoy it or avoid it.”

That statement also felt true to Thyon. “I worry a bit sometimes that I’m deranged,” he confessed quietly.

Ruza frowned, “Why would you think that?”

“Well, there’s a lot of reasons, I mean you know I’m not so experienced and well… For one, like I said, I really enjoy it, but not just, um, I don’t just enjoy the parts where I orgasm. I also like the other parts…”

“Are you trying to say you like dick?”

“Yes… I fucking love sucking your dick!” Thyon blurted out and then immediately regretted it and buried his head into Ruza’s chest, not wanting to see his reaction.

“And thank fuck for that!” Ruza kissed the top of Thyon’s head and that was really not the reaction that Thyon had expected. “Sweetie, that’s not deranged. That’s just what you like. And besides I think it’s really hot that you enjoy sucking my dick, and it feels fucking amazing. Have you not noticed how much I enjoy your dick? I mean if it turns you on that we’re both deranged then I’ll play along, but if it’s worrying you then please stop worrying.” Ruza kissed the top of Thyon’s head again. “You said ‘for one,’ what are the other things you’re worrying about?”

Thyon whined frustratedly. “Are you really going to make me talk about it?” he demanded of Ruza’s chest.

“Yes, and I promise you that my prodding is for your benefit. We have nothing to lose from being open and honest with each other but what we will gain will be better sex.”

Thyon huffed. “How dare you threaten me with _even better_ sex. Fine. The other things were a complete surprise. I didn’t know that I would like those kinds of things and I’m still sort of processing that new information. And what if I’m deranged because I like them…” he trailed off and hung his head, wishing for a moment that he wasn’t deeply in love with a man that bravely faced every awkward conversation like it was no big deal.

“Ok you’re being really vague, but I have a feeling that you’re talking about being bitten, having your hair pulled, and dirty talk?”

Thyon was in awe of this man. How had he known? “How did you know?” he asked quietly.

“Well, I have been paying close attention to the things that you seem to like the most, and those three rate pretty high, and they’re also not very “traditional” sex things. It makes sense that someone raised in a ridiculously repressive culture would have some internal strife at discovering that they enjoy things that aren’t soft and tender missionary man in women sex.” Ruza heard Thyon’s nervous chuckle, so he must have got it right. “None of that makes you deranged. Its erotic and exciting and definitely a bit naughty, but not deranged. Think of sex like an experiment, or a mission of discovery, we try different things and see if we like them. If we like them, we do those things some more, if we don’t like them, we stop.”

“What if I like things that you don’t? Or what if I take it too far and you get hurt?”

“That is exactly why we’re having this conversation. Boundaries, and rules, and talking it out should prevent us from actually harming each other, emotionally or physically. So far, I have enjoyed everything we have done. Immensely. Imagine my surprise to learn that I _like_ biting you and pulling your hair? I’d never done either of those before which is why I started out gently. I doubt very much that you’ll love something that I despise, but here are my boundaries that I know of so far. I don’t think I could ever insult you or degrade you or be mean to you, the thought is kind of repulsive. And I’d not be into it for you to do those things to me either. I’m definitely not into anything involving blood, or pee, or mud. Not anywhere in public where people could see us, and the outdoors is probably a case-by-case basis.”

“Ok yeah, those are good boundaries. None of that sounds appealing to me either. Well, I suppose I shouldn’t close the door on the outdoors, we never know.”

Ruza could tell that Thyon needed to think a bit more, so he carried on. “I’m not really into feeling pain myself. The occasional pinch, nibble or bite is fine. Everything you have been doing so far has been good. But I don’t think I would really enjoy much more than that. And I definitely don’t like being spanked. But if you wanted me to do that to you, I would give it a try. Because I like giving you pleasure. If you want to experiment with adding a bit more pain, I’m ok with that too but we’ll need to go slow.”

Thyon briefly wondered how it was that Ruza discovered that he didn’t like being spanked, and then he decided that he didn’t want to know. But the thought of Ruza doing that to him… It was exciting and hot. “Umm, I do kind of want to experiment with those things. In fact, the thought of you spanking me…” Thyon groaned partly from embarrassment and partly because those thoughts were arousing. “I’m half-hard again.”

Ruza barked out a laugh. “Criminally short Thyon. Honestly, do you even have a refractory period?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never put it to the test.” Before today, Thyon hadn’t even known that he’d desire Ruza this much. He had naively assumed that once they’d finally been intimate with each other the fires of his desire would have been quenched, at least temporarily.

“Oh we are going to have so much fun. Have you always been like this? Getting hard at the slightest suggestion, the tiniest provocation?” Ruza asked in wonderment.

It was Thyon’s turn to laugh. “Um no, that’s alllll you. I didn’t even know that orgasms could be _so good_. It’s all your fault.”

“It’s delightful, I love it,” is what Ruza said, but what he really meant was ‘I love you,’ and Thyon heard the meaning behind the words that neither of them had the courage to say just yet. “Let’s get back to the task at hand – boundaries, my darling. What are yours?”

Thyon snuggled closer to Ruza while he thought. “Hmmm. Well… I don’t like the feeling of suffocating, so nothing that impedes my breathing. And don’t hurt my face. Well, I suppose if you bit my lip, I might like it, but you know what I mean. Don’t slap my face or anything like that.”

“I would never harm your beautiful face.”

“Don’t start with that again.”

“I’m being serious. I think you are beautiful and I have no intention of disturbing my view. Ok so we’ve covered what we’re unwilling to do. How about rules and things we do like.”

Thyon thought for a while and decided he might as well ask for the things he wanted. “Well I think we’ve identified that I’m an emotional mess and need a bit of coddling, so I like it that even when you’re doing naughty things to me I still feel safe, and cared for, and we cuddle afterwards. So lets keep doing those things.”

“Everyone likes feeling safe and cared for, does not mean you are a mess. And I don’t think you could stop me cuddling with you if you tried. How about we also agree to keep communicating. You’ve got to tell me if you don’t like something. And you’ve got to tell me if you do like something.” Thyon groaned audibly at that. “We don’t have to have a full-on heart to heart all the time. It can be as simple as ‘No that’s not nice,’ or ‘Stop,’ or ‘Yes,’ or ‘More.’ And I’ll do the same. And as long as it’s not a firm boundary, I’m open to trying all sorts of new stuff, just to find out what we like.”

“Alright me too, I mean I agree to all of that. Are we going to remember all this? Should we write it down?”

“Of course we’ll remember.” Ruza laughed. “Unless you write in an unbreakable code, then no we should not write this down.”

“Your turn to spill. I want to know what you like.” Thyon kissed Ruza’s clavicle for encouragement.

Ruza chuckled, “Fair enough. Well, you already know that I like it that you’re so into sex, but specifically I like it that you’re noisy. If you were quiet then I’d worry that it’s not good for you.”

“Mmhmm,” Thyon kissed Ruza’s chest.

“You might have noticed that I like watching you and watching what you do to me…”

“Yeah that’s kind of hot, you can keep doing that.” Thyon kissed his chest again.

“Hmmm, sometimes I enjoy talking dirty,” Ruza continued.

“Also hot. Keep going.” Thyon punctuated all his statements now with kisses to Ruza’s chest.

“I enjoy anal sex. But so far I prefer to be the one doing the penetrating rather than the one receiving. Although, I’ve only ever been penetrated once, so maybe I just don’t have enough data to make a conclusion.”

“I would definitely be interested in running those experiments with you in the future.”

“Good to know. See, we’re learning all sorts of useful information about each other.” Considering that it had been less than half a year since Thyon realized he was attracted to men, or at least one man specifically, Ruza thought he was being pretty open-minded about all of this.

“Anything else?”

“I have one more, but I’ll tell you tomorrow morning. Your turn.”

Thyon nipped at Ruza’s chest, then licked the spot he had just abused. “We already discussed some of the things that you figured out that I like. I suppose that there is one other thing I want to try a bit more of. But maybe we should discuss it some other time. We have so many things already that we want to try.”

“Would you rather spend multiple evenings with me prying information out of you, or would you rather get it all out now and spend our evenings experimenting instead?”

Thyon sighed. It was so typical of Ruza to needle him until he said everything. Never mind that it’s resulted in a much happier Thyon. “Fine. But… It might be weird.”

“So what? Life would be boring without weird.”

“Remember earlier when you said ‘No more teasing,’ but… not in a nice way? It was more like an order? Um… I might be interested in you doing more of that. Ordering me around. And um, I would have to comply.”

Ruza kissed the top on Thyon’s head and brushed his fingers through his hair. “I had a feeling this was where we were heading. You want me to dominate you.”

“There’s a proper word for that? So that’s a thing? It’s not just me?”

“No my dear, its not just you. There is a whole world of power play out there and there are definitely other people into it. I’m not too sure how common it is, but I saw some of the same things in the market stall on De Aarde that I’ve seen in shops on Zeru, so its common enough that it transcends worlds. And a lot of it is not for beginners. So we are going to start small and go slow.”

“Oh. You’re… Ok with that kind of experiment?”

“Of course. Besides, maybe I’ll like it too. I didn’t know that I would enjoy doing all of those deliciously naughty things to you until I did.” Ruza kissed the top of Thyon’s head again. “But we’re going to need some way of communicating to each other when something is too much, or if you need me to stop.”

“Why not just use those words? We won’t use them for any other reason. ‘Too much’ will mean slow down and ‘Stop’ will mean stop completely what you are doing.”

“I suppose simple is best. Ok, we’ll try that.”

“So when you said a whole world… What other things do you know about?”

“You didn’t even want to talk about it and now you want to know more?” Ruza teased. Of course he would tell Thyon everything he knew, he was elated that Thyon was finally treating his desires like the fun adventures that they could be.

“You know I hate not knowing things. And how much I like learning.” He kissed Ruza’s chest and gently pinched his hip.

“I know how much you hate it when I know more about something than you.” Thyon laughed, knowing it was true, and then Ruza laughed with him.

Then Ruza told him everything he knew about domination, submission, and bondage. All of it was either second hand from other people, or from the homemade ‘How to’ sex books that had been secretly passed around in school, or diagrams he’d seen in shops. He told Thyon about how some people liked to be tied up, some liked to be paddled or whipped, some liked to submit to rough sex, or pain play, and some people were submissive but preferred gentle, caring sex. He left out the things he knew about that crossed their boundaries because to be honest, he kind of wished he didn’t know those things.

When Ruza had finished, Thyon confessed, “I’m not even sure I want to try all of those things, but just talking about them, even abstractly, is very hot.”

“How hard is your dick my darling?”

“Quite hard.”

“Mmm this is what I was trying to tell you. We’re two consenting adults who like each other very much, and enjoy being intimate together. Being _naughty_ is _fun_. Doing _naughty things_ together is _endlessly fun_. And gods, your dick is the sixth wonder of the world; I’m amazed that you’re ready to go for the fourth time today.”

Thyon laughed delightedly. He was immeasurably happy that Ruza was so into him. “Well it’s not completely ready to go. And besides I’m exhausted, I really don’t think I have it in me to go again.”

“There’s always tomorrow,” Ruza suggested.

“Mmm promise?”

“Promise.”

“Shall we go to bed then?”

“Great idea. You know what else is a great idea?” Ruza asked as they got up from the sofa.

“Hmm, what?”

“Sleeping naked.”

“Oh we’re _definitely_ sleeping naked from now on,” Thyon vowed.

Ruza laughed and then he turned around and delicately kissed Thyon on the cheek before heading into the bathing room.

Thyon sighed happily; he was definitely in love with Ruza.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear the story is actually going somewhere, its just taking a lot of diversions along the way. I can't help it, I wanted maximum fluff and smut and pure escapism so here it is.


	19. Love in their hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruza wants to show Thyon just how much he loves being intimate with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is 100% fluff and smut. NSFW warning and all that.

The sounds of Thyon snoring softly filled the air and woke Ruza up. They must have rolled onto their backs in the night, it was the only position that caused Thyon to snore, thank goodness. Ruza opened his eyes and looked around. Faint morning light edged the curtains and the room was still cool, so it must be early. His clock said it was just before 6. Now that he was awake, he needed to pee. Usually Thyon was a heavy sleeper, but Ruza crept quietly to the bathing room anyway, just in case. 

On his return to the bedroom he stopped in the doorway and watched Thyon sleeping. Five mornings in and it was still slightly unreal that he got to wake up everyday next to his favorite person in the universe. And it was totally unbelievable that this former aristocrat, who was once haughty and prissy and a complete asshole turned out to be the softest, cuddliest, sweetheart with just a little bit of love. And a sex god. Good heavens the fact that this man turned out to love sucking dick was the greatest surprise of all. Already aroused, he crept back to bed because he wanted to show Thyon just how much he loved being intimate with him. 

When Thyon awoke, he was certain that he was in fact not awake and instead was having an erotic dream. He was naked and someone (he hoped it was Ruza) was caressing his thighs and his balls, and he could tell that he was hard already. It certainly felt like Ruza, so he took the risk and opened his eyes. He was in Ruza’s bed, same as yesterday morning, and it was indeed Ruza that was touching him. “Is this a dream?” he murmured, closing his eyes again. 

“No darling, but you can pretend it is if you want,” Ruza whispered in his ear before kissing along his shoulder to his neck. 

“Mmmm best dreams are you naked.”

“Well it’s a good thing that I am. Naked that is.” Ruza continued caressing Thyon’s thighs and kissing his neck. 

By now Thyon had woken up enough to remember yesterday, and that they had moved into a new phase of their relationship that involved far less clothing and so he believed that this was not a sleep dream. More like a fantasy become reality dream. “Too sleepy for sex. Need wake,” he mumbled. 

“I would be happy to wake you up a little bit more, but I can also stop if you’d rather sleep.”

Thyon yawned and reached his arm out in Ruza’s direction. It landed on Ruza’s arm and he squeezed. “This is nice, don’t stop. I’m just not my best,” he said softly. 

“You don’t need to be your best, you just need to enjoy,” Ruza replied, his hand heading back towards Thyon’s thighs. He gently pushed them open a bit so that he could caress more of Thyon’s gorgeous legs. 

Thyon sighed contentedly, “I can do that.”

“Good.” Ruza continued his exploration, pushing Thyon’s thighs further and further apart. He grabbed the bottle of oil that he had left on top of his bed table and dribbled some in the palm of his hand, holding it for a few seconds so that it warmed up. Then he started lightly massaging Thyon’s thighs. 

“Oh,” Thyon gasped. “That’s nice. Smells nice too.” He hadn’t yet re-opened his eyes, because he was enjoying the sensations and the surprises. 

“It’s lavender rosemary oil,” Ruza said as he dribbled more onto his hand and started massaged Thyon’s hips. Thyon was making cute little sighing noises and it was all Ruza could do to stop himself from enveloping him in a million kisses. Instead he continued massaging up towards Thyon’s abdomen added more oil as he went. Eventually he crept his hands back down and lightly grasped Thyon’s rock hard dick. That elicited one of those debauched moans Ruza loved so much. 

He added more oil and stroked along the shaft of Thyon’s dick slow and languidly. 

“Oh Ruza, that feels sooo good,” Thyon panted. 

“Good, I’m glad you’re enjoying it.” Ruza added a bit more oil. 

“So… much…”

Ruza laughed softly, then took his hands off of Thyon and poured more oil into his palm. He coated his own totally aroused cock with the oil so that it was completely slick. “I’m going to lie on top of you, is that ok?”

“Yes, come here.” Thyon opened his arms and Ruza kissed his way up Thyon’s chest before lowering himself down so their bodies were pressed together. Thyon circled his arms around Ruza’s shoulders, and sighed in pleasure at the feel of his body on top. 

Ruza gave Thyon a minute or two before he rolled his hips and felt the decadent press of their dicks sliding against each other.

“Oh! Ohhh fucckk…” Thyon moaned and his eyes flew open. He stared up into the laughing eyes of his lover and nearly forgot what he was about to say. “Ruza! Fuck that felt so good. That’s what the oil is for?”

Ruza nipped Thyon’s jaw and rolled his hips again, watching Thyon come undone. “Of course it feels good. I did tell to you to enjoy.” 

Another low, debauched moan escaped Thyon’s lips and he pulled Ruza into a kiss. They kissed soft and sensual while Ruza continued his pace of slowly grinding his hips into Thyon’s. After a while Thyon discovered that he could move his hips up to meet Ruza’s and increase the friction between them, which was a delight. 

Ruza was in general soft and caring with Thyon, but this, this tender moment was another level of intimacy. Thyon had never felt more loved than he did in that moment; his hearts sang and his spirit soared. This was what people meant when they used the phrase ‘making love’ – Ruza was making love to him. Once again Thyon discovered something that he hadn’t known was missing from his life, but now that he knew about it he didn’t want to go without. 

After many minutes Thyon broke their kiss because he was feeling a bit overwhelmed with emotion and needed some air. He nuzzled Ruza’s neck as he panted. “This is so lovely,” he whispered. 

“You’re so lovely,” Ruza whispered, kissing Thyon’s neck as they continued thrusting against each other. 

Not missing a beat Thyon whispered, “You’re a dream.” He moved his hands down from Ruza’s hips to his ass and gently squeezed both of his hands. 

Ruza laughed softly. “You can’t even receive a compliment without trying to one-up me.”

“It’s not a competition, I just need you to know how amazing you are.”

“You know what else would be amazing?”

“Hmmm?”

Ruza propped himself up on his arms so there was a bit of space between their bodies. He took Thyon’s right hand off of his ass and guided it between them. “Hold both of our dicks together, lightly enough so that I can still move.” 

It took Thyon a minute to figure out the best way to do it, but once he did it felt incredible. Ruza rolled his hips and both of them gasped in pleasure. Thyon found that he could wrap his left leg around Ruza’s hips, and push against the bed with his right leg, and they found a rhythm that worked for them. Ruza was holding himself up with his arms so they could maintain the right angle, and Thyon had his free hand on Ruza’s hips, pulling them together. 

Being tangled up with Ruza like this was the most intimate that Thyon had ever been with anyone, and it was a joy. It didn’t take long before he was nearing his climax. “I’m close,” he panted. 

“Me too.” They both upped the pace ever so slightly and Thyon gripped a little bit tighter on their dicks resulting in a chorus of moans from both of them. 

Thyon’s orgasm washed over him like a wave of pleasure hitting every cell of his body and he pulled Ruza closer to him chanting “Oh, oh.” Ruza tipped over the edge shortly after moaning, “Oh yes.” As soon as he came, his bones became jelly and he collapsed on top of Thyon. He could feel the mess of come between them, but he was too far gone in bliss at the moment to care. Thyon wrapped his arms around Ruza’s torso and they laid there like that for many minutes, until their breathing became less erratic. 

When they came back to their senses, Thyon started giggling. Ruza raised his head off of Thyon’s chest and gave him a questioning look. “We’re definitely going to need to take a bath before breakfast.” Thyon giggled. 

“Obviously,” Ruza chuckled. He lifted himself off of Thyon and grabbed the washcloth that he had left on the bed table and started wiping Thyon down. “Be right back,” he said before heading to the bathing room. He rinsed the washcloth in the sink, quickly washed himself, and then finished cleaning Thyon off. He climbed back into bed and Thyon pulled him into a kiss. Although it was only brief, it felt very much like this kiss was Thyon’s way of saying ‘I love you,’ because it was. 

Ruza nuzzled Thyon’s neck and whispered, “It’s still early, shall we try to get some more sleep?”

Thyon could already feel himself nodding off. “Mmmm yes please. Can I be the big spoon?”

“Of course.” Ruza rolled over and felt the familiar feeling of Thyon wrapping himself around him. 

Thyon kissed Ruza’s shoulder and murmured, “I don’t have the words to describe how nice that was. Let’s do it again sometime.”

Ruza felt warm and dizzy with joy. “Yes I’d like that,” he murmured back and they both fell asleep with love in their hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next couple chapters have lots of plot and angst and feelings so I hope ya'll enjoyed this fluffy interlude.


	20. Perfection. Rigidity. Prison.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tailor appointment at the estate of one of the Triumvirate reminds Thyon of his life in Zosma and it goes about as well you'd expect. Which is to say that it goes very badly.

Ruza and Thyon woke up to the sounds of the curtain flapping wildly and wind whistling through the gaps.

“What the hell?” Thyon groaned as Ruza hopped out of bed to close the door to the balcony.

“A storm has rolled in. It’s pouring outside,” Ruza announced as he grabbed the soaking sofa cushions and brought them inside to dry. Then he closed the door and the curtain. There was a puddle of water around the door so he removed some dirty towels from his hamper to soak it up.

Ruza was about to get back in bed when Thyon groaned again. “I left my window open too.”

“I’ll take care of it, I’m up already.”

“Thanks.”

When Ruza returned to bed Thyon pulled him into a bear hug. He had every intention of snuggling Ruza to warm him up until he put his icy cold feet between his legs. Thyon’s body jerked back and he squeaked “I won’t cuddle if you terrorize me with your icy feet.”

Ruza moved his feet away and embraced Thyon. “I thought you were warming me up,” he pouted.

“Any appendage that is ice cold is an exception,” Thyon stated with mock seriousness.

“Silly rules,” Ruza grumbled under his breath, but he kept his feet away as they snuggled.

They were both warm and cozy under the blankets again when Thyon asked, “Last night you said you’d tell me the final thing you liked this morning. So, what is it?”

Ruza inched closer to Thyon and kissed his neck softly. “I like that we cuddle in the morning. I like that I wake up to soft, sleepy Thyon who is sweet and lovely. So if we have sex in the morning I want it to be like earlier.” Ruza wanted to say, ‘I want to make love in the mornings’ but he blushed and kept it to himself, hoping that Thyon would understand what he was saying.

“I would like that very much,” Thyon whispered back and they held each other tight. They snuggled for a bit more before their stomachs started to protest loudly.

Thyon sighed dramatically. “Guess we should get up and bathe so that we can eat.”

“Mmm guess so,” Ruza agreed.

_________________________________

Being hungry was quite the motivator for efficiency so they were both ready to head down to the gallery in half an hour. They held hands as they walked because Thyon knew that they would have to spend most of the day pretending that they were just friends and he wanted to fit in as much physical affection before then as he possibly could.

Suheyla, Minya, Calixte, Tzara, Lazlo and Sarai were still eating their breakfasts when they arrived. Well, Sarai was chatting instead of pretending to eat, she had given up the pretense long ago saying that pretend ghost food just wasn’t the same. Kiska and Feral and Ruby and Werran arrived not long after them, which was a bit of a surprise considering it was late for breakfast. Thyon wondered to himself if the couples had been late to breakfast because they were busy having sex with their extra time in the morning and the thought caused him to snort with laughter.

Ruza, who was busy stuffing his face, raised a questioning eyebrow at Thyon, who responded, “I’ll tell you later.”

When they finished eating, Lazlo told them all to meet in the hangar in half an hour. They would take the _Dreamsmith_ down to De Aarde, and Lazlo hade made it large enough for all of them by using the unicorn and the gryphon.

After breakfast Thyon found Sparrow in the garden tending to a new raised bed full of plants Thyon had never seen before. It wasn’t raining anymore but the sky was still cloudy and grey. “Morning Sparrow.”

“Good morning Thyon! Look how well the strawberry plants are growing. The rain from the storm really helped.”

“Oh that’s fantastic – I actually came here to ask you how they were doing. How long do you think until they produce berries?”

“Maybe a couple of days depending on how many other things I have to do. Hey I haven’t seen you much lately. Have you been busy in the laboratory?”

“Not realllllly… But I have been busy.” Thyon didn’t really know what to do. He didn’t lie to Sparrow, but he also didn’t want to go into detail about what he had been up to lately. A distinct blush crept up his cheeks.

Sparrow heard the awkward tone of his voice and looked up from her work. “Thyon, your cheeks are crimson,” she giggled. “Have you been ‘busy’ with Ruza then?”

Thyon’s cheeks turned an even darker red. “Well… Yes.”

“So I’m guessing this means you’ve moved beyond just kissing?” Sparrow asked, smiling broadly. When Thyon nodded affirmatively she laughed again. “I’m not going to pester you about the details, but just tell me one thing – is it good?”

“It’s _amazing_ ,” he breathed.

And Sparrow laughed again, “I’m delighted for you. Do you have the time? I suppose we’ll be leaving soon.”

Thyon, glad for the change in topic, checked his watch. “It’s 10 past 10. We’re meeting in the hangar in 20 minutes. See you then?”

"Yeah see you in a bit,” she replied, taking her hands out of the soil and brushing them off.

_________________________________

The _Dreamsmith_ had two rows of tiny mesarthium seats that became uncomfortable after a few minutes, so it was not a ship for long journeys. The two rows went along the belly of the moth and faced each other. Thyon was sitting between Ruza and Sparrow and across from Rook, who closed his eyes the minute he sat down and didn’t look inclined to speak to anyone. At least he’s not arguing with anyone thought Thyon.

When they landed Ruza nuzzled Thyon’s neck and whispered, “I wont leave your side unless I have to. If it’s too much we’ll go outside and get some air.”

“Thanks,” Thyon whispered back before briefly kissing Ruza.

Ruza was surprised and pleased with Thyon’s boldness, there were still a few people in the _Dreamsmith_ waiting to get out although no one was paying attention to them.

There were two carriages waiting to take them to Johanna van Gogh’s estate. Lazlo however, insisted on riding the unicorn (jokingly named Pokey by Ruza when Lazlo refused to name it), which he created from the wings of the _Dreamsmith_. The carriage drivers, having not seen Lazlo use his gift before, looked mildly terrified. The carriages were ornate on the outside and plush and conformable on the inside. Many of Thyon’s companions were impressed and looked around with awe, he, having grown up around a similar ostentatious show of wealth, was nonplussed. Thyon listened as Saprrow and Ruby excitedly chatted about dresses, music, and dancing. Sparrow’s exuberant joy was enough to pull him out of his quiet dread and he even cracked a smile when Ruza promised to dance so badly that a new style of dance would be created in his honor.

Their arrival at the van Gogh estate, particularly Lazlo flying in on Pokey, caused a bit of commotion but the servants charged with greeting them soon recovered their wits and manners. The building in front of them was more castle than house, and the smooth white stone shone like a fairy tale even in the grey, diffuse light. Looking around at the expertly manicured garden Thyon knew better – this was no fairy tale, this was perfection. Rigidity. Prison. A gentle squeeze on his hand and a soft smile from Sparrow at his side brought him back from the worst of his thoughts.

They were brought into a large room that Thyon reckoned was a ballroom, and instructed to sit on one side of the massively long wooden table. Despite the grey day the room was bright thanks to the many large windows that ran along the length of the room. They sat on the cushioned chairs and quietly waited.

Their hostess entered the room flanked by a young man and women that they had not met before and many servants holding platters of drinks. Their attire and mannerisms spoke to a formality of behavior that Thyon had left behind and would rather forget. Perfection. Rigidity. Prison.

Johanna van Gogh spoke and Calixte translated.

“Welcome to my home, you may call me Johanna while we are here. Please, have some refreshments, it’s sweet tea with mint.” A drink was placed before each of them. “I would like to introduce you to my daughter Floor and my son Lenaert.” Floor curtsied and Lenaert bowed. Then each of them said their names in return. “They both have a keen interest in foreign languages, so I invited them to join us.” She nodded, and they took a seat at each end of the table and were served drinks.

“I have asked some of the servants to model example ensembles for you. You may choose between the options that the models wear and the tailors will take your measurements.” She rang a bell and the ‘models’ entered the room.

The three men that entered the room were all wearing the exact same black suit trousers and jacket. The jacket was short in the front and had long tails in the back. All three had the exact same black bow at their neck, and Thyon knew immediately that this gala would be as boring and horrible as the ones he’d attended before. Perfection. Rigidity. Prison. The only difference in clothing between the three male models was the color of the shirts, one was white, one black, and one was grey.

“I’m afraid that the attire for men at a black-tie event is rather particular, but you do get to choose the color of your shirt,” Calixte told them after Johanna spoke.

With a jingle of the bell, the men stepped off to the side and the women models came in.

There were five women wearing floor-length ball gowns in the colors of white, black, navy, dark green, and dark violet. They weren’t as puffy as the ones in Zosma, in fact, they were rather sleek and form-fitting. And one of them completely lacked a back, which would have been absolutely scandalous. They were rather plain compared to the dresses that Thyon was used to seeing. He expected that embellishments like embroidery or beading took too much time or money or both to accomplish and they had only slightly more than a week until the ball.

“The ladies may choose any of these styles, with any of these colors. You may not deviate from these, since these are the only approved styles and colors for commoners.” Perfection. Rigidity. Prison.

After translating, Calixte asked Johanna a question and they appeared to argue for a couple of minutes, and it was clear that Calixte was growing angry while their hostess looked annoyed, but unmovable.

“Calixte, what’s wrong?” Tzara asked.

“I have never worn a dress, and I’m not going to start now. But apparently women are not allowed to wear trousers. I tried to tell her that we’re not from this planet, so the rules don’t apply to us, but she’s being impossible.” Calixte explained.

With that, the table erupted with conversation as several people fought to be heard. Some were making the argument that they had to follow the local customs, and others were making the argument that the local customs were nonsense. It mostly sounded like a mess to Thyon, and their hostess was frowning at them. The clamor from his companions at least served as a reminder that life was different now and he couldn’t be held in this prison.

While everyone was arguing, Ruza took this opportunity to ask Thyon in common tongue, “Which color shirt do you think I should get?”

“Black,” was Thyon’s immediate answer.

Ruza laughed softly. “You didn’t even have to think about it?”

Thyon smiled, “There’s nothing to contemplate, you look sexy in all black.” Ruza laughed a bit louder at that. “I was thinking of white for me, what do you think?”

“Yeah, I like the black and white combination for you,” Ruza responded and he squeezed Thyon’s thigh under the table.

After many minutes of this commotion, Ruby ran to the other side of the table, held her hand up in the air and lit it on fire like a torch. “Quiet everyone!” she shouted. When everyone at last complied, she extinguished her hand. “Stop acting like children. Calixte, please apologize to our host for our poor manners. Also, I might have a solution to your problem, but we probably need Kiska’s help explaining it.”

Calixte spoke to their host, and then turned to Ruby. “How could _you_ possibly have a solution?” she asked incredulously.

Suheyla spoke up at that. “Ruby designed and helped me make all of your outfits that you wore for your birthday party. She has a good eye for clothing, I would suggest you listen to her ideas.”

Ruby walked over to where the women models were huddled and asked to see their dresses up close. Then she pointed at two of them and gestured for them to follow her. “Both of these styles of dress could be done with wide trousers instead. The trousers would follow the same lines as the dress and look like a skirt, but not be a skirt,” she explained.

Calixte tried explaining to their hostess, but both were shaking their heads so Kiska tried. Finally, she agreed that Calixte and Tzara could wear these special trouser dresses, and everyone relaxed a bit.

“Ok, listen up,” Ruby announced. “We’re going to do this calmly and orderly. Feral, take notes so that we know what colors and styles everyone chooses. Nero, you’re up here with me.”

“What? Why?” Thyon sputtered, he was completely surprised at this turn of events.

“Because you’re the only other one out of this lot that has any fashion sense. So you and I are going to help everyone else make sensible choices,” Ruby commanded.

Ruza squeezed Thyon’s thigh and gave him an encouraging nod. “Ok,” he said, standing up and heading to the other side of the table.

When Calixte explained what was going on, their host summoned the tailors. She sat at the front of the room with an older gentleman who seemed to be in charge of all the other tailors. He carried a large ledger and set it on the table between them.

Ruby called up each of the guys in turn and she and Thyon helped them choose their shirt color and then they were measured. They were also measured for shoes, although they were not shown any options for those. Only Rook got surly with them, Thyon was pretty sure he insisted on grey just to be contrary. Thyon could feel the weight of being stared at, which he was accustomed to, but not very fond of. When he glanced around he noted that both Floor and Lenaert, and sometimes Johanna were watching him with interest.

Tzara and Calixte went first for the women, and Kiska’s help was required to communicate with the tailors about the changes they wanted to the skirts. The women were allowed to choose from two styles of shoes, one with a small heel and one with a very tall heel. Only Calixte and Kiska chose the one with the tall heel. Calixte was also the only one to choose the style of ‘dress’ that had no back on it. Choosing the dresses for the women took longer than for the men as there were more decisions to be made. Thyon was for the most part impressed with Ruby’s suggestions and they agreed on most things. She really did have a good eye for clothing, and what styles and colors were best suited to each of their friends.

They had decided ahead of time that Sarai would try and be as solid as possible when she was getting measured, and that they would get a dress made for her, since they did not want to explain that she was a ghost. On the day of the gala, she could either wear the dress, or imagine one that looked the same.

When it was Suheyla and Minya’s turn, their hostess rang her bell and two more women appeared. They were wearing gowns that were similar but much more modest than the other five, one even had a matching jacket. Minya chose the one without the jacket and Suheyla deferred to Ruby, who chose the option with the jacket for her.

Once all of the decisions had finally been made, Ruby asked their hostess if accessories were allowed. After much back and forth between Johanna, Calixte, Ruby, and Kiska, they determined that hats were not allowed, but flowers in the hair would be. Jewelry, handbags, scarves, and shawls were all allowed. Weapons were expressly forbidden to the dismay of Ruza and Tzara.

The tailor asked them to return in 6 days time so that they could try on their outfits and he could ensure that they fit correctly.

Johanna announced that she had had a lunch prepared for all of them and it was waiting in the dining room. She also told them that after lunch, she would like them to stay and see a demonstration of the dances that would be danced, so that they might consider participating in them at the gala. To the annoyance of Thyon, the majority voted to stay for the afternoon.

_________________________________

They were all sitting at the dining table drinking coffee after the meal had been cleared away and Thyon noticed that Johanna was staring at him. He knew better than to fidget, so he opted to stare right back, hoping that her gaze would falter. She turned to Calixte and said something, and Thyon heard his name.

“Hey Nero, Johanna has asked if you would accompany Floor to the gala as her date,” Calixte announced.

“No, absolutely not,” Thyon replied icily. The room felt suddenly hot and airless and he quickly glanced around assessing his escape options.

Johanna seemed to understand the word ‘no’ because before Calixte could reply she was speaking again. The expectation in her voice weighed heavily on Thyon. Perfection. Rigidity. Prison.

“Johanna has said that if Lenaert is more your type, she would be delighted if you would accompany him instead.” Thyon’s icy expression broke into a grimace and he shook his head ‘no’ so Calixte added, “Oh come on, what’s the big deal. We’re supposed to make nice with the locals, just be the arm candy for one of her kids for one night.”

Thyon couldn’t believe what Calixte was saying. Surely she of all people would understand that he would never willingly imprison himself. Rage and fury that he had not felt in along time boiled to the surface and he decided to not bury it deep and make nice. “You!” he pointed at Calixte, “You got bent out of shape for being asked to wear a _dress_ , which is just a silly piece of clothing and actually means nothing but you think its ok for me to pretend to be attracted to someone when I’m not? You think that it’s a good idea to lie to them and lead them on when I’m already in a relationship?” He pushed his chair back and stood up, stalking over to Calixte. Everyone was staring at him now, mouths agape. Even Lazlo, who was the only one among them to have seen Thyon this furious before, was shocked by the outburst.

Thyon continued his tirade when he was standing next to Calixte; his blood felt like it was boiling and his world narrowed to just the two of them. “I am Not anyone’s _arm candy_ , I am Not anyone’s _puppet_ , and I am certainly Not going to pretend to like someone else when I am very much committed to _my partner_. I’ve had a lifetime’s worth of being forced to do things I didn’t want to do and I am _done_ with that.”

Calixte stood up and faced Thyon, it was then that he saw the tears streaming down her face. She looked like she was about to say something but Tzara stopped her. Thyon had been so angry he hadn’t noticed that Ruza and Tzara had come over to separate them. They exchanged a few whispered words and then both turned around, Ruza taking Thyon’ arm and Tzara taking Calixte’s arm, and they guided them to opposite sides of the room.

Kiska reached out to everyone’s minds to try and patch things up. She started speaking to Johanna and her kids, but clearly Kiska wanted them all to hear what she was telling them. “Many of us, including Thyon, are in committed relationships based on love, and so we would rather not take dates to the gala, unless it’s the person we are with. You’ll have to excuse the outburst, most of us had very bad childhoods and consequently some behave like animals when they feel they are cornered.” Kiska then let them know that Johanna doesn’t want there to be any negative feelings, she understands.

“Kiska, would you please tell our hostess that I apologize for my behavior and that I am going to spend the remainder of the afternoon outside. I’ll wait at the carriages if need be,” Thyon proposed.

Kiska nodded and a moment later she said, “Johanna accepts your apology. She said that Lenaert will take you to the garden, and feel free to walk wherever you like.”

Johanna then spoke with Lenaert, and he smiled hesitantly and waved at Thyon, beckoning him to leave with him.

“None of us should go anywhere alone, so I’ll be joining Thyon,” Ruza announced. He let go of Thyon’s arm and they both followed Lenaert out the door.

Lenaert led them through the gardens and far away from the house. Eventually, they approached a massive wall made out of shrubs, the likes of which neither Thyon nor Ruza had seen before. Lenaert opened a door within the wall and led them inside a large circular garden, surrounded by the wall of shrubbery. Flowers were climbing up trellises along the entire perimeter, so walls of blooms surrounded them. The effect was stunning. They followed him to the benches that lined the edges of a fountain in the center.

As soon as they sat down, Ruza looked at Thyon and asked in the common tongue, “Hey are you alright? Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, I’m not alright,” Thyon gritted out. He nodded in the direction of their host, who was now staring at them in surprise.

Lenaert shocked them both by speaking to them in the common tongue, “You are not speaking the same language you did in the house.”

“How do you know how to speak the common tongue?” Ruza asked.

“I speak six languages, this is what we call Engels and it is spoken on the northern continent across the great blue sea. Do all of you speak Engels? Because many people here do and it would be easier than having only one translator.”

“No, not all of us speak it. All of us speak Amezrou, my native language, which is what you heard us speaking in the house. Common tongue is Thyon and Lazlo’s native language and Tzara and Calixte can also speak it.” Ruza explained.

Lenaert nodded, he wasn’t entirely sure he remembered who was who, but he made note of the names for later. “Oh ok. Thyon, listen, I apologize for my mother. Neither me nor Floor knew she was going to ask you, but she is very ambitious, and I expect she thought it would give her some kind of clout with the dignitaries that we are expecting to visit for the gala.”

Thyon nodded and smiled weakly. He still felt a bit too shaken to talk. In fact he was only vaguely listening to what Lanaert had to say because he was busy worrying that Ruza didn’t want to be in a relationship with him anymore. He knew they were only together because Thyon had changed, had become less of an asshole. And now that he’d been mean to Calixte he was pretty sure that Ruza was going to leave him. Those thoughts caused his hearts to physically hurt and he nearly groped at his chest in shock. Once again his body was doing things he hadn’t thought possible. How could heartbreak be a real, physical thing? He couldn’t, wouldn’t come undone next to this stranger so he schooled his features into a look of boredom.

Ruza took one appraising look over Thyon and knew he’d be doing all of the talking. Good thing he was chatty enough for the both of them. “Your mother offered you as a date, does that mean that same gender relationships are ok on this world?” he asked.

“Do you mean relationships between two men or two women?” Lenaert clarified.

“Yes.”

“Ah ok sort of. In my country, sex is encouraged between two or more men and same for women - especially when we’re young and unmarried. It’s considered part of our sexual awakening. We’re also allowed to date whomever we want when we’re young. But marriage is only allowed between a man and a woman.”

“But what if two men fell in love?”

“Love has nothing to do with marriage here. Marriage is for creating heirs, children. Many people continue to have sex with their preferred partners even after marriage. However, in other countries, marriage is allowed between whomever wishes to be married. But things here are very strict and a little bit backwards.”

It had only been a few days and already Ruza was tired of the constant vigilance and hiding of his feelings so he pressed further. “So people wouldn’t react badly to seeing same gender couples holding hands or anything like that?”

“If you’re asking me if I would freak out if you two embraced, the answer is no. And I don’t think anyone else would care much either. You look young enough to be in your awakening phase.” When Lenaert saw the questioning looks they were giving him he laughed. “What? I have eyes. You’re both very good looking and I was checking you both out but the whispering and the sly smiles made it obvious that you’re together.”

Ruza laughed at that, but Thyon was still a ball of tension next to him. “There are a few of our crew who aren’t in a relationship, we can set you up with one of them if you like?”

“No thanks. I technically have a date already but considering we’re not supposed to be together my mother is choosing to ignore that fact.”

“But you look young, surely you’re also still allowed to date whomever?”

“It’s nothing to do with age and everything to do with me being Flemish aristocracy and him being the son of the King of Bordeaux. We’re strictly forbidden from marrying. I must choose someone from my country’s aristocracy and he must do the same. They’re ancient and utterly stupid laws. My mother hates even the idea of us fooling around, but she has no power to forbid him from formal functions so we get to fuck quite frequently.” He smiled devilishly.

“Those laws are messed up,” Ruza stated.

“Totally. Anyway, Thyon still looks upset so I’m going to take a walk and I’ll be back in about 15–20 minutes. If you stay in here, the security guards can’t see you with their binoculars. Anywhere else on the property they can see you.”

“Thanks, I think we’ll stay here,” Ruza confirmed.

Lenaert smiled at them then headed out the door.

As soon as the door was closed Ruza enveloped Thyon in a tight embrace; he kissed Thyon’s neck tenderly and rubbed circles into his back. Thyon slumped into him and rested his hands gingerly on Ruza’s hips. “I messed up, I shouldn’t have said those things,” he whispered.

“Calixte should have known better than to make a joke about that. She messed up too,” Ruza soothed.

“But I was mean about it, I made her cry.” Thyon wanted so badly to believe that this embrace meant Ruza wasn’t going to leave him.

“We have been pestering you for months to get in touch with your emotions, and not lock them down, and talk about your feelings, and be more open. It was going to happen eventually that some parts of the ones you locked away years ago would come raging to the surface. It’s ok to be angry about what happened in your past. You just need to work on expressing yourself at the appropriate time and place so you don’t explode and cause collateral damage.”

Everything was all of a sudden too much and Thyon surprised both of them by starting to cry. He brought his hands up to his face and pulled away from Ruza. Now he was upset and embarrassed. He tried to shame himself into stopping, but the tears kept coming. He had no memories of having ever cried before and for good reason – this was a disaster that he hoped never to repeat. He had learned from a young age that crying only resulted in scorn and contempt from his parents so in fact the last time that Thyon Nero had cried was at the age of three.

Ruza let him pull away a little bit to have the space to cry, but not so far as to be out of reach. He continued rubbing Thyon’s back and started murmuring comforting words. “Hey, it’s ok. It’s just you and me here. You can let it out.”

“How can you stand to be around me? I’m a mess,” Thyon managed to choke out between sobs. He was bent over now, with his head pressed against his knees, and his arms wrapped around his head, his whole body shuddering.

“I’m not going anywhere my darling. I would never abandon you. Never.” Ruza continued rubbing circles into Thyon’s back. When his full-body sobs started to peter out, Ruza took his clean handkerchief from his pocket and slipped it into Thyon’s hand. “I don’t care if you’re a mess sometimes – you’re stuck with me, remember? You said so yourself, we’re partners.” Ruza leaned over and nudged Thyon with his elbow.

Thyon let out a little laugh at that. He turned away from Ruza and wiped his eyes and blew his nose. When he was done he turned back and hugged Ruza again, and nuzzled into his neck.

Ruza brushed his fingers through Thyon’s hair and when he’d teased all the tangles out, he started lightly scratching Thyon’s scalp. Thyon sighed and took a couple of deep breaths.

When he felt calm enough to talk again, Thyon whispered, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being the most kind and caring and wonderful person I’ve ever met.” Thyon kissed Ruza gently and tenderly. And Ruza, knowing how fragile he was right now, kissed him equally tenderly.

When their kiss ended Ruza checked Thyon’s watch. “We better pretend to be looking at the flowers soon. It’s been about 15 minutes.”

Thyon smiled softly. “They are pretty amazing flowers. Sparrow would love to see this.”

“We have to come back for the fitting in 6 days. Maybe we can convince Lenaert to give her a tour of the gardens then.”

“Good idea,” agreed Thyon, standing up and stretching.

Ruza stood up too and then they really did have a wander around looking at the flowers, hand in hand. A couple of minutes later, Lenaert knocked on the door and invited them to walk with him around the garden. They accepted and the time passed pleasantly enough, all things considered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for this heavy, emotionally draining chapter. On the plus side they're all going to look sooo good in their gala attire.


	21. Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone does their best to pick up the pieces and move on from the events of the afternoon.

It was Thyon’s turn to make dinner, so he let go of Ruza’s hand and headed immediately to the kitchen when they arrived back to the _Astral_. They had been holding hands since Thyon’s breakdown in the garden and Ruza’s constant presence was reassuring, his hand tethering Thyon to the real and the here and the now. He was no longer worried that Ruza would leave him, he believed him when he’d said he would never abandon him. They were partners. _They were partners._ He took a couple of deep breaths.

Ruza had told everyone that Lenaert spoke the common tongue while they were on the _Dreamsmith_ and they were still excitedly discussing the ramifications of that news. Thyon figured he had about 10–15 minutes before Suheyla, Sarai, and Minya joined him and he wanted to use that time to mentally prepare himself for polite conversation. He checked the chalkboard for today’s menu and then started gathering the required vegetables.

While chopping vegetables he thought back to the scene that they had witnessed when Lenaert had brought them to the carriages to depart. Sparrow was angrily arguing with Calixte and Tzara. He’d never seen her so angry before, in fact, the grass around her feet had started to grow thick and tall and he suspected that she had possibly never been that angry before if she didn’t know how to keep her gift in check. They only caught the very end of it, and by the time they reached the carriages Lazlo had ushered Calixte and Tzara into one while Ruby and Sarai herded Sparrow into the other. Calixte had shouted ‘What are you his secretary!?’ and then Sparrow had shouted ‘No, I’m his friend. And a better friend than you are!’ before they had been successfully separated. He suspected that he was the person they had argued over, but that seemed so out of character for Sparrow. He frowned and resolved to ask her about it later. 

Suheyla was the first to join him in the kitchen. “Minya and Sarai will be here in a couple of minutes,” she informed him. “I know you won’t want to talk about it with anyone else around, but you know that I’m here for you right? If you need to talk we can take a break.”

Thyon set his knife down and turned to Suheyla with gratitude in his heart. “Thanks for the offer. Earlier Ruza and I spoke about some of it. I think I need a bit of time to process things right now. I won’t say no to a hug though.”

They were still hugging a minute later when the others joined them. “Are we making dinner or dilly-dallying?” Minya demanded.

“You two were late. So I decided to take a break until you catch up.” Thyon retorted with a fake smile on his face.

“Come Minya. I’ll teach you how to fillet a fish,” Suheyla said.

They fell into the comfortable routine that they had developed after many months of the chore rota. Thyon was glad that they weren’t normally very chatty so it didn’t seem out of place that he was particularly quiet today.

When Ruza, who was on laundry duty, stopped by to pick up the dirty towels and rags Thyon followed him out the door into the empty corridor. “I’m not really feeling up to having dinner with everyone so when we finish here I’m going to make myself a plate and take it to the balcony,” he said quietly.

“Ok. Do you want to be alone or can I join you?” Ruza queried.

Thyon smiled because of course Ruza would ask such a thoughtful question. “I’d rather be with you than alone.”

“Good, I’ll meet you back here to make myself a plate too.” He gave Thyon a quick peck on the lips and hoisted the laundry bag onto his shoulder. “See you in a bit.”

“Mmhmm.”

_________________________________

Later, when Sarai and Minya were setting the table, Thyon told Suheyla that him and Ruza would be eating in his room, her response had been one that he’d heard before. “You can’t avoid people for forever.”

“I know. We’ll patch things up, but I need some space first.” He picked up one of the large pots of stew and brought it to the table. Suheyla knew Thyon well enough to not push him. Like many aboard the _Astral_ his initial response to upsetting events was to seek solitude. He would rejoin group meals when he was ready; the important part was that he did rejoin. It was why group meals were encouraged and not forced – so many of them had grown up without any autonomy that it was important to Suheyla that everyone knew they could make choices for themselves now.

By the time he had finished bringing all of the pots to the table Ruza was in the kitchen waiting for him. “Took the liberty of serving you some stew,” Thyon said.

“I noticed, thanks. I added some bread to our trays. Red or white?” Ruza asked, holding up two bottles of wine.

“White?”

“White it is. Let’s go.”

They settled themselves onto the balcony and ate in silence. This wasn’t the comfortable silence of their usual evenings on the balcony, but it also wasn’t awkward. It was the silence of people who had had a long day and just wanted to eat in peace. And that’s when it occurred to Thyon that Ruza, one of the chattiest people that he knew, was actually content to sit in silence with him. It had happened so many times over the past week that he should have noticed it before. He set his empty bowl on the table and couldn’t stop the smile that appeared on his face.

Ruza caught the soft happy look on Thyon’s face out of the corner of his eye. “What are you thinking about?” he asked quietly.

“You.”

“Me? What about me?”

“Just that if someone had told me a couple months ago that you would be content to sit in silence with me and not feel compelled to fill every moment with chatter I would have laughed at the ridiculousness of the suggestion.”

Ruza chuckled softly. “I think there’s a lot that Thyon from a couple months ago would find difficult to believe.”

“Indeed he would,” Thyon laughed. And there was a lightness in his laugh that had been missing for most of the day. Ruza hated that he was going to have to weigh Thyon down again, but he knew he’d prefer to be warned.

“While I was doing the laundry Tzara came to speak with me. She says that Calixte wants to apologise to you tonight. I asked her to let you have your space and you would let them know when you’re ready to talk. Hope that’s ok.”

“Of course it’s ok. I might as well get it over with. Did she say what their fight with Sparrow was all about?”

“Yeah. I guess Calixte was going to get in the same carriage as us and try and apologise to you then, but Sparrow asked her to give you some space and to speak to you in private instead of in front of a bunch of people. Calixte didn’t like being told what to do and it escalated from there.”

Thyon put his head in his hands. “What a mess I’ve made.”

“First of all, we’ve been over this, you didn’t start it. Second, we’re 14 very different people. There’s bound to be arguments and tempers. As long as we all try to be civil and work through our issues together that’s what’s important.”

Thyon sighed and leaned over and rested his head on Ruza’s shoulders. “Did you believe Lenaert when he said that people wouldn’t be bothered by seeing us hold hands? I haven’t noticed any other same gender couples, have you?”

“I saw a pair of girls holding hands at the market, but you never know with girls. Sometimes they just hold hands and it doesn’t mean anything. The only way we’ll know for sure is if we try it.”

“I suppose we could give it a try.” Thyon’s voice was hesitant and uncertain. “We could also try speaking with other people, and see if his story checks out.”

Ruza furrowed his brows. He wasn’t sure where Thyon’s uncertainty was coming from. “We could do that if you prefer,” he paused and the space between them was heavy with uncertainty. “Would you want to hold my hand in public?”

Thyon sat up straight and turned to look at Ruza. He hadn’t seen him look or sound so fearful since their first night on the balcony. “Of course I do, why wouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know. You grew up in a repressive culture so maybe on some level you internalized that hate and holding hands with a guy in public is a step too far?”

“Ruza, my darling,” Thyon soothed. He reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair away from Ruza’s eye then he pulled him close and kissed his forehead. Then his cheek. “I spent a large part of my day yesterday naked with you. I sucked your dick, and liked it, twice. I don’t have any internalized hate that I know of, at least not when it comes to you. I may never be the type of person that passionately kisses you in public because I prefer privacy but I still want to be affectionate. I’m just wary of encountering the kind of violence I know happened in Zosma.”

The fear and uncertainty melted away from Ruza and his body relaxed. He knew that despite Thyon’s insistence on carrying that ridiculous flimsy sword, he was no fighter. “I am a highly trained warrior you know. Highly likely I could protect us.”

“Yes and I’m sure you’d look sexy as fuck while you did it but I’d rather avoid unnecessary conflict. Besides, bathing in the blood of my enemies is a bit beyond my boundaries.”

Ruza barked out a laugh at that but he stopped when they heard a knocking sound. “Is that… Is someone knocking on your door?” he asked.

They both headed towards Thyon’s room when they heard the knocking again. It was definitely coming from Thyon’s door. They both thought about how they should consider removing Thyon’s name from his door and adding it to Ruza’s since he spent so little time in his own room now, but those thoughts were immediately pushed aside when the knocking continued. “Maybe it’s Calixte. She’s not known for her patience.” Thyon crossed the distance and opened his door. Calixte was standing there and for the first time ever she looked nervous.

“Hi, Thyon, may I come in?” Calixte asked.

“You may,” Thyon stepped aside to let her in his room then he closed his door behind her. He looked at Ruza who was standing in the doorway between their rooms and they communicated wordlessly with one another that Ruza would be waiting back to his room.

“I’m just going to be right next door. Shout if you need me,” Ruza smiled then slid the door most of the way closed.

“Oh, nice that you have a door linking your rooms,” she started.

“Yes, it is nice. Would you like to sit? I only have that small bench at the end of the bed and my desk chair.”

She looked around and shifted from one foot to the other, she looked like she was holding more tension in her body than a coiled spring. “No it’s ok. I prefer to stand. Listen, about this afternoon. I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have joked about that. It was a poor decision on my part. I won’t joke about those kinds of things again.”

As much as he wanted to chastise her, and refuse her apology, he knew it would serve no purpose. Easier to let it go and move on was something that he had learned over these months on the _Astral_. “I accept your apology,” Thyon said stiffly. “I’m also sorry for the way I reacted. It was a bit over the top.”

“I accept your apology. No hard feelings hey?” Calixte held out her hand and Thyon shook it. He leaned against the edge of his desk and was glad to see that Calxite no longer looked on the edge of exploding.

With a hesitant smile she carried on talking. “When Tzara was trying to calm me down in the corridor Floor came out to speak to us and she saw Tzara kiss me. Floor said that its ok, we don’t have to hide our relationship here. People won’t be bothered by it. Thought you and Ruza might like to know.”

“Thanks, Lenaert said the same thing to Ruza and I. We were just discussing how trustworthy of a source he might be.”

“Do you think we can’t trust them?”

“We only just met them. Who knows what their ulterior motives are.”

“You sound just like Tzara!” Calixte accused, and her usual jovial teasing had returned.

“I’m surprised after all this time her good sense hasn’t rubbed off on you.” Thyon teased back but his voice still had an edge of stiffness to it.

Calixte made a show of pondering his words before she replied, “I think that only happens with man sex. I think it’s connected to all those external _parts_ you have.” Her hand gesture left no doubt as to which parts she was referring to.

Thyon chuckled; he had set himself up for that one. “Have you made peace with Sparrow yet? We only saw the end of the argument, but it was pretty heated.”

“Not yet, I’m doing my apologies in order today. Speaking of which, I should get going and find her.” Calixte headed towards his bedroom door.

“Ok, good luck.”

“Thanks!” She waved and smiled on her way out the door and Thyon shut it after her.

He took a couple of deep breaths to clear away any of the last remaining weights of the day. No more awkward conversations for today. Time to relax with Ruza and watch the day turn to night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thyon's thoughts: Should we combine our rooms? Is it too soon for that? Would Ruza even want that?
> 
> Ruza's thoughts: We should combine our rooms. Or maybe turn Thyon's room into a sitting room and office. I wonder how long I should wait to suggest it. 
> 
> Thyon's thoughts: He did agree that we're partners. But, maybe he's not ready. We still haven't said the L word. 
> 
> Ruza's thoughts: He did announce to everyone that we're partners. Does he understand the significance of that?


	22. Late night discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruza dominates Thyon for the first time and Thyon makes a discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The summary should make it clear but in case it doesn't: this chapter is very NSFW. It starts at "Good boy" and ends with "That was amazing."

When the apologies were done Thyon headed back to the balcony where he found Ruza waiting for him.

“How’d it go?” Ruza handed him his refilled glass of wine.

“Fine. We both apologised. No hard feelings”

“Really? You don’t sound convinced.”

“I’m still annoyed and upset that she did it in the first place, but I’ll get over it in time.”

“I know I was a bit dismissive the other day, but are you going to be ok at this gala? Or is it going to bring back too many bad memories?”

Thyon’s mind immediately supplied three words: Perfection. Rigidity. Prison. He shook his head as if to clear away those thoughts and replace them with better ones. Ones like Ruza oozing sex appeal in an all black, tailored suit. Or Sparrow giggling at everything when she’s had too much champagne. “I don’t know for sure. But I was hoping that if I made new memories, better memories, with you and our friends, that I could replace the bad ones.”

“That could work,” Ruza mused.

“That reminds me, I have something I wanted to ask you.” Thyon set his glass on the table and turned to Ruza with a serious look on his face.

“Oh?”

Thyon took Ruza’s hand in his own and cleared his throat. “Would you like to be my date to the gala?”

Ruza put his free hand on his heart and mustered his most serious voice. “I would be honored to be your date. Tell me, what are my chances of getting lucky with you after our date?”

Neither could help the smirk at their lips or devilish look in their eyes. “I would say that they are pretty close to 100%. I might have a thing for Tizerkane warriors dressed in fine tailored suits.”

“Oh really? Does this _thing_ apply to all Tizerkane warriors?”

“No, just one in particular. I’m rather fond of him. He has hazel eyes, wavy black hair, a mole on his neck right there,” Thyon leaned over and kissed it, “and he’s ticklish if you kiss him right here.” Thyon caressed an area of Ruza’s belly that never failed to cause him to giggle when kissed.

“I have it on good authority that this particular warrior is rather fond of you too.” Ruza closed the distance between their lips and they kissed in the confident and unhurried way that had become their normal in the evenings out on the balcony.

There were moments of passion and hunger during their kiss, but when it ended Thyon didn’t try to remove Ruza’s clothes, he just snuggled closer to him. Ruza was fine with just cuddling, but he figured he’d ask Thyon what he wanted in case he needed a little nudge. He ran his fingers through his lover’s silky golden hair hair and caressed the nape of his neck. “What are your thoughts on getting naked tonight? Are you up for it, or was today a bit too draining?”

“Hmmmm.” Thyon thought about how Ruza’s desire made him feel alive. And that being intimate together pushed aside all of his negative thoughts and replaced them with love. He danced his fingers along Ruza’s muscled thigh. “After everything that happened today I could use some fun. But my brain is still a bit overwhelmed. Maybe, as long as I didn’t have to make any decisions, or have to think too much I’d be ok.”

Ruza shifted, so he could whisper in Thyon’s ear, “Is this your way of asking me to dominate you?”

“Yes,” Thyon’s breath hitched.

“Do you want to start now?” Ruza purred.

“Yes.”

“Do you remember the safety words?”

“Too much or stop.”

“Good boy.” Ruza sat up straight and cleared his throat. He looked at Thyon fiercely and commanded, “Go inside, take your shoes and socks off and stand at the foot of the bed next to the bench.”

Thyon’s body responded immediately by flooding him with desire. Ruza’s commanding voice was so hot that Thyon faltered in his rush into the bedroom but he did as he was told. He watched as Ruza pushed open the door to the balcony and the curtain and then untied and removed his shirt. Ruza retrieved a decorative pillow from his closet, set it on the floor in front of the bench and sat on the bench looking calm and relaxed.

“Undress for me. Remove everything. And when you finish, kneel on this cushion.”

Thyon’s dick was completely hard now and he whined a little. He was already enjoying this and they hadn’t even touched each other yet. He managed to remove his shirt without issue, but the buttons on his trousers were proving difficult. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and finished unbuttoning his trousers. As soon as they were off, he heard Ruza growl and his dick strained against his undershorts.

“Is your dick hard _already_ my darling?” Ruza asked, his voice rough and deep.

“Yes,” Thyon breathed, barely above a whisper.

“Naughty, naughty boy,” Ruza growled.

Thyon whined as he removed his undershorts. He placed his folded clothes onto the dresser and went and kneeled on the cushion. He didn’t know what to do with his hands so he laced his fingers together and rested them on his thighs. The whole time Ruza watched him, his body was relaxed but there was a hunger in his eyes that set a fire alight in Thyon.

Desire consumed Ruza. Just this morning he had been content to go slow and take his time but right now his need was a roaring fire. The urge to lose himself to passion was strong but since this was all so new the urge to make sure that his beloved was still into this was stronger. He leaned forward and kissed Thyon tenderly, lovingly. Thyon returned the kiss equally tenderly, and they each felt reassured that the other was enjoying their play.

Ruza threaded his fingers through Thyon’s hair and pulled away from the kiss. He pulled on his hair until his head was tipped back, then he licked a stripe all the way up Thyon’s neck to his ear and nipped at his earlobe. “Gods you’re gorgeous,” he purred. “I can’t wait to watch you suck my dick. You do not have my permission to be quiet – I want to hear all those dirty noises you make. If you do a good job, you will be rewarded.” Ruza pinched Thyon’s nipple to show him what sort of reward was on offer and Thyon gave him a completely debauched moan in return.

Ruza released Thyon’s hair and stood up. “Undress me,” he commanded.

When Ruza had pulled Thyon’s hair, everything in his mind went blank. He was now completely in the moment and all the thoughts swirling around stopped. So when he went to unbutton Ruza’s trousers, his hands were steady and sure. Ruza stepped out of his trousers and Thyon folded them and set them aside. He undid the drawstring of Ruza’s undershorts and pulled them down. Ruza’s cock was hard and dripping with pre-come and Thyon forgot himself and licked it off.

Ruza grabbed a fistful of Thyon’s hair and gently tugged his head back. “Patience darling. You haven’t finished undressing me.”

Thyon whimpered, but he complied and folded Ruza’s undershorts neatly and set them on the trousers.

Ruza sat back down on the bench, leaned against the bed behind him and spread his legs wide. It was the lewdest and hottest thing Thyon had ever seen and he moaned at the sight. Thyon’s mind was no longer blank, it was consumed by want and need, but the whirling thoughts and anxieties stayed far away.

The sun had started to set and Thyon was glowing like a god once again. A golden god that was on his knees fully submitting to Ruza’s every whim and desire; it made him feel a bit delirious and a bit drunk to have this sort of power. He smiled devilishly at Thyon “You may now suck my dick naughty boy. But don’t you _dare_ think about getting off your knees.”

Finally! Thyon leaned forward and grasped Ruza’s dick in his hand and began licking and sucking the head while Ruza watched. His senses were so overwhelmed he had to shut his eyes to focus; sucking Ruza’s dick was delightful, intoxicating even. Ruza was panting and when he started moaning, Thyon took the whole length of it in his mouth. That elicited an “Oh yes” and a tug on his hair as Ruza lightly grasped Thyon’s bobbing head.

Realizing that Thyon couldn’t say ‘stop’ because he couldn’t very well say anything right now, Ruza leaned down and said “If anything is too much, just tap your hand against my leg and I’ll stop.” Thyon looked up at him and while keeping eye contact squeezed his hand a little tighter and sucked a little harder. Ruza felt like he had won the relationship lottery. Thyon was setting him on fire.

He gave Thyon a good tug on his hair in return and his body lit up in pleasure when Thyon moaned with his dick in his mouth. “Oohhh fuck yes,” Ruza gasped. With his hands in Thyon’s hair, Ruza coaxed him to increase the pace. It was faster and harder than they’d done before, but so far Thyon seemed to still be enjoying it. Ruza was close so he pushed Thyon to go a little faster. Not even 30 seconds later he was screaming and the world whited out as he came into Thyon’s mouth. He fell back against the bed and was vaguely aware of Thyon softly kissing his hips.

Ruza was still panting, eyes closed and body limp when he said, “You can lay down on the bed and wait for me darling. Do not touch yourself.”

The sun had finished setting and the room was filled with shadows but Thyon could still see well enough to recognize the look of total bliss that enveloped his warrior. A now familiar warm feeling spread through his core and he smiled softly. He stood up and his legs wobbled like freshly set custard. He was thirsty, but he didn’t want to disobey Ruza, so he asked, “May I get a glass of water?”

“You may. Bring one for me too,” Ruza said between shaky breaths. By the time Thyon was pressing a glass into his hands he had regained his senses, but he still felt boneless and euphoric. He drank some water and headed to the bed where Thyon was waiting for him as instructed.

When Ruza joined him on the bed Thyon turned to him and gave him a soft sleepy smile. He looped his leg over and between Thyon’s legs and pressed their bodies close, letting his fingers roam around Thyon’s chest. “Hey, how are you doing? Was that ok?” he asked softly.

“I’m good. It was good, why?”

“Just checking in,” Ruza drew him into a kiss. It started soft and gentle, but when Ruza sucked on Thyon’s top lip, he lost his composure and grabbed Ruza’s ass. Ruza looked down and saw Thyon’s dick bobbing and knew he must be desperate to be touched. “Losing patience are we naughty boy?” he crooned. Then he smacked Thyon’s thigh as punishment.

Thyon’s eyes went wide at the feeling of the sharp sting, but when Ruza caressed the place he had smacked, tingles of delightful pleasure radiated through Thyon’s body and he tipped his head back and moaned.

Ruza licked his neck and growled, “Sooo naughty.” Then he smacked Thyon’s thigh again because he enjoyed watching him writhe in ecstasy.

Next Ruza moved to his nipples, pinching and licking, biting and caressing until Thyon was begging, “Please, please, please please?”

“Ok, but only because you begged so sweetly.”

Ruza slid down the bed and took the head of Thyon’s cock into his mouth. He swirled his tongue over his frenulum and then smacked Thyon’s thigh even harder than before. When he ran his hand over the area he had hit and caressed, Thyon bucked his hips and moaned, “Ohhh fuck yes.”

Ruza pushed Thyon’s hip back onto the bed and held him there and took all of Thyon’s dick into his mouth. Holding Thyon’s hips down, Ruza began sucking up and down. The debauched moaning of his sweetheart became even dirtier and even louder. When his orgasm hit, Thyon’s entire body shook and twitched and he screamed so loud Ruza briefly worried that someone might hear him. Then he decided that he didn’t care.

Having just experienced the most intense orgasm of his life, Thyon laid in delighted bliss for many minutes. His mind was still blank and calm and the peace that had enveloped his soul when they had started was still there. He turned to look at Ruza and smiled a silly, love-struck grin.

“That was amazing.”

Ruza had been watching Thyon intently for any signs of anxiety or displeasure. “All of it, or just the orgasm?”

“All of it. Thank you for doing that experiment with me.” He furrowed his brows and looked a bit worried, then he asked, “Um, was it ok for you?”

“I have a confession to make,” Ruza smirked.

Thyon’s pulse quickened, “Oh?”

“I really, really enjoyed dominating you.”

Thyon barked out a laugh. “Oh thank gods. I thought you were going to say you hated it.”

“Darling did you not see my dick? Did you forget so soon how hard it was? I’m not sure I would have been able to get hard at all if I hated it. I would have skipped me and gone straight to you.”

Thyon’s whole face lit up. “So we can put that on our ‘Yes, please’ list? And try it again sometime?”

“Mmm yes we can definitely do that again.” Ruza yawned and looked at his clock. “Shall we brush our teeth and go to bed?”

“Yeah,” Thyon yawned too.

Later, when the glaves had been covered and they were cuddling in bed on the edge of sleep, Thyon murmured, “Hey Ruza?”

“Yes darling?”

“Can I tell you something I discovered tonight?”

“Of course.” Ruza found himself more awake now that his interest was piqued. What sort of late night discoveries had their intimacy unveiled?

Thyon leaned back into Ruza’s comforting embrace and Ruza softly kissed his shoulder. When he started speaking again his voice was quiet and shaky, barely above a whisper. “When I used to cut myself, the pain would clear out all the thoughts in my head; all the worries, and insecurities, all the doubts, every ‘what if,’ all the reminders of my inadequacies – everything. It was like fog clearing away and my mind would have this peaceful blankness. I knew of no other way of achieving that calm. But it was fleeting, sometimes not even lasting as long as the pain itself. And I craved it, that peace, that calmness. I needed it, so I kept cutting.”

Ruza, who had not been expecting an emotional confession such as this, snuggled closer to Thyon’s back and gently caressed his hip to let him know that he was still listening and was not going to let him go.

Thyon continued, “I stopped not because I had some great epiphany, but because the returns were diminishing. The damage I would have to do to gain that fleeting peace was too much. Life aboard the _Astral_ is substantially better than _before_ but it’s clearly not an immediate cure for the chaos in my mind. Flirting with you gave me some of that calm, I could focus all of my attention on my attraction to you and some thoughts would quiet. Being with you, kissing, cuddling, and sex are all better than flirting, but the complete blankness was elusive. Until tonight.”

Thyon took a deep breath. When he finally spoke again, his voice was steady and confident. “When you were in charge, and I gave myself over to you, everything went blank when you pulled my hair. I was back in that place of peace and calm. But, it’s better because it’s only briefly painful and then it feels fucking amazing. Euphoric even. Nothing existed except you and me and pleasure. And you don’t even really have to hurt me to induce it. And it lasts so much longer – I still feel calm and quiet. Not completely blank, but still better than before.”

This moment felt so precious and tender that Ruza wasn’t really sure how to respond. His hearts ached for the shitty excuse of a life Thyon had had before. “Thyon.” He kissed his shoulder. “That’s the most you’ve ever spoken to me about something so personal.”

“I know. I just needed you to know why it was so good for me. Because saying it’s good or amazing, doesn’t even come close to what it is.”

The connection that they had, that they felt, was unmistakable. Wonderment filled Ruza at the knowledge that _he_ was able to give Thyon this peace. He wanted to do it again. “I’m so glad you told me. If you feel up to it, as part of our experiments I would like to know how successful we are at achieving that peaceful blankness. I mean, I would like you to tell me afterwards, at least until we get the hang of it and understand it better. It doesn’t have to be immediately, of course.”

“I think I can agree to that. In the name of science, of course.”

“Of course.” Ruza held Thyon close and sleep took them swiftly for they were both exhausted. But before they were completely out, both had the feeling that they were on the precipice of something big. That maybe their relationship wasn’t just the start of something, or the end, but instead was _everything_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is enjoying the smutty interludes in between plot-heavy chapters. I certainly am 😘


	23. The library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visit to a local library unveils a mystery. Thyon makes a discovery that angers the locals and leads to more questions than answers.

The next morning brought another early morning training session so there was no time for sex. There was time for cuddling, because Ruza had a habit of setting the alarm earlier than they needed it just so that they had time for cuddles. He wouldn’t give up his time with sleepy Thyon for anything. Despite not being a morning person, Thyon was secretly glad that Ruza set his alarm so early because he also cherished their morning snuggles. Last night had been a lot, in fact all of yesterday had been a lot, but here in each other’s arms was a simple and comforting pleasure.

Breakfast was quiet, it was too early for chatter or arguments, and the first half hour of training was subdued as well. The only people accustomed to waking and doing physical activity so early were Ruza and Tzara. When they broke off into small groups for different types of offensive type training (Kiska was teaching knife throwing, Werran and Rook were teaching hand to hand combat, and Tzara and Ruza were teaching spear fighting/throwing) Thyon approached Lazlo about finding the nearest library since they discovered that common tongue was spoken by some on De Aarde. Lazlo agreed and they made a plan for the afternoon.

Being the only two not interested in learning offensive fighting, Sparrow and Thyon gravitated towards each other and left the training room. They wandered to the garden and on the way Thyon told her what he’d seen of the van Gogh gardens. After checking on the strawberries they headed towards their favorite place to sit and gossip - the bench in a glade amongst the ferns. It was another overcast day, but the air was still summer warm.

Sparrow had been quiet since they entered the garden; the weight of yesterday’s arguments was weighing heavily on her mind. “Are you ok?” she asked tentatively, sitting down.

He shrugged, “Are any of us ok?”

She gave him a look that he hadn’t seen in awhile – it was the look she reserved for when he was avoiding talking about something and she wasn’t going to let him get away with it. “You don’t have to go to the gala if you don’t want to. None of us _have_ to go.”

“I know. But I do want to go. I asked Ruza to officially be my date last night,” Thyon blushed at the memory of last night. “I want to go and have a good time with him, and you, and our friends. If it’s really boring we can just sit in a corner with some champagne and make cutting remarks about the outfits of everyone or gossip about who’s flirting with who.”

Sparrow laughed at that. “I’m glad you have our backup plan sorted. I really hope its not boring. Most of the dances that Johanna showed us looked complex and require a partner. Which might be difficult to obtain since I don’t speak either of the languages.”

“Nonsense, you don’t need to speak a language to dance. Anyway if you want to dance and you need a partner just ask me.”

“Won’t Ruza get jealous?” she teased.

“I have a feeling that Ruza is as bad of a dancer as he claims to be. I’m not sure we should subject visiting dignitaries to his dancing. It might cause offence and then our goals of diplomatically finding the others would be out the window.” They both laughed at that.

When Sparrow’s laughter ended, she grew serious again. “Did Calixte apologize to you last night?”

“Yes and I apologized to her for my reaction.” Thyon sighed. “Did she apologize to you? She said she would.”

“Yes, she did. Though I’m still annoyed at her for starting it in the first place.”

“Me too. Also, thanks for… Trying to help. Remind me to never get in a fight with you, you’re fierce.”

“Fierce? Tell that to Minya, she still complains sometimes about how weak and soft I am,” she said ruefully. “And you’re welcome of course.”

Thyon frowned. He knew that Minya was still prickly and sometimes antagonistic, but he hadn’t realised that she was making unkind comments to Sparrow. “Don’t let her get in your head. Besides you can be soft _and_ fierce, just look at Ruza. He’s so sweet he’s practically made of pastry.”

Sparrow gave him a funny look and then burst out laughing. That was certainly an unexpected thing for Thyon to say. She would never tell him, but he had become soft around the edges lately. He was clearly in love and it was changing him, in strange and delightful ways. She still hadn’t regained her composure a minute later when Ruza came looking for Thyon. Everyone wanted to bathe before lunch so they headed back inside and parted ways with Sparrow in the gallery.

Being stubborn, Thyon was unwilling to admit that he wasn’t physically fit enough for all of their training exercises, and he had pushed himself too hard. He decided to take the longest possible bath in the hopes that his muscles would still be functional later. Which is where he was when he heard Ruza calling for him.

“I’m in the bath!” he yelled back.

A minute later there was a knock on the door. “You can come in,” Thyon said.

Ruza entered wearing just a towel around his waist and drying his hair with another small towel. “You’re actually still in the bath?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes,” Thyon replied stiffly. “Everything hurts and it’s all your fault.”

“Awww poor baby,” Ruza teased, perching against the rim of the bathtub. “If you weren’t so stubborn you could have taken it easier on yourself like Sparrow and Ruby.”

Thyon grumbled and sunk deeper into the water. “You could have told us to do fewer repetitions of each task.”

Ruza chuckled and replied sweetly, “If you’re still in pain tonight I’ll make it up to you by giving you a massage. I have some oil that helps with muscle aches.”

“If you’re offering a massage then I am definitely going to still be in pain tonight,” Thyon smirked. “Why aren’t you dressed yet anyway? Were you plotting to tempt me with your sexy naked body?”

“Mmm I was indeed. But I can see that you already overdid it for today.” Ruza kissed the top of Thyon’s head. “Nap until lunch instead?”

“A nap sounds good, I’m dead.”

_________________________________

After lunch they took _The Dragon_ to De Aarde in the hopes of finding a library. Lazlo and Thyon went of course, both thrilled at the prospect of reading new books. Ruza and Tzara came along as guards, but they too were eager to see a fully functioning library. Kiska and Calixte joined since they spoke languages that the others didn’t and lastly Minya and Sarai also joined; Sarai had convinced Minya to come so that she could finally see a real library.

They parked _The Dragon_ at Mikkel’s farm and luckily he was there when they arrived. It turned out there was a library nearby, and it was on the outskirts of the city on the university campus, which wasn’t far from Mikkel’s farm. Mikkel gave them directions and let them borrow his wagon to get there, and they were all glad that it was an overcast day with no rain since it was a simple uncovered farm wagon. They were headed in the opposite direction from the spa but the terrain was much the same. Farmland for several miles abruptly gave way to a tree fern forest and a riot of birdsong.

The university campus wasn’t anything like what Thyon expected. First, it was surrounded by an impossibly tall wall made of rough black stone and carriages weren’t allowed inside the walls. Second, the entrance was manned by guards who wouldn’t let them in unless they agreed to a chaperone. Guards with swords strapped to their sides. Third, the chaperone forbade them from ‘having a look around.’ Fourth, every building that they passed on the way to the library also had a guard standing outside of the entrance. The buildings throughout campus felt foreboding not because they were particularly large, but because they were all made of the same black stone as the walls. Thyon was beginning to suspect that this was not a general place of learning and scholarship as the universities in Zeru had been.

On the walk from the university front gate to the library everyone was on edge and the tension was palpable. Thyon could tell that Ruza and Tzara were on high alert – their muscles taut and primed with potential energy like ravids on a hunt. When they reached the library Thyon and Lazlo turned on the charm and attempted to gain entry, diplomatically. After much negotiation they were allowed inside, to look only, and they must all meet their chaperone back at the entrance in exactly two hours.

As soon as they were out of earshot of the chaperone Thyon whispered to Ruza, “There’s too much security for a university. This is very suspicious.”

“I know. Stay alert,” Ruza whispered back. Ruza then went and whispered to Tzara and Lazlo, and a minute later everyone dispersed. They all had their own reasons for going to the library and Ruza thought it would look less suspicious if they split up.

Thyon wanted to ask if they had any books in Engels, so he headed towards a large desk with what looked to be librarians standing behind it. Well, Thyon hoped they were librarians since many of them seemed to be filing folders in drawers, but they were not wearing any sort of uniform like the robes librarians wear in Zosma so it was an educated guess. They looked at Thyon and Ruza warily, as if they knew that they were foreigners but did not dare to ask questions.

“Hello, do any of you speak Engels?” Thyon asked.

“I do,” the youngest women replied. “How can I help?”

“Are there books here written in Engels? I would like to look at them.”

“We have one section, I can show you where it is. Follow me.” When she stepped out from behind the desk they noticed how tall she was, practically everyone here was as tall as or taller than Thyon, even the women. It was their most distinguishing feature other than their pale skin. 

They followed the librarian through the main corridor of the library, the comforting smell of paper and leather and ink washed over Thyon. He looked around as they walked, most of the books were very large and appeared to be quite old. At the end of the corridor she led them into a small room with bookcases lining the walls from floor to ceiling, it was no bigger than their bedrooms on the _Astral_ and had a small desk and four chairs in the center.

“Every book in this room is written in Engels,” the librarian told them.

“Thanks,” Thyon replied. He watched as she left then he turned to Ruza and whispered, “What do you say we browse through as many books as possible and see if there’s anything interesting or weird or suspicious.”

“Sounds good, I’ll start on the right.”

Some of the books had titles on the spines and some did not so they both pulled books off the shelves and leafed through them. Most of the books on Thyon’s side of the room were dictionaries and language translation books. Some were old, with cracking spines and fading words, they were clearly not cared for. Others were newer, but they were still pretty much the same in content. There was nothing about the science or the culture of this planet. There was no ladder, so Thyon stood on a chair trying to determine if the books were organized by category and which categories were above his head. Every book he pulled off the self was a dictionary; it was infuriating.

“Why do they need so many dictionaries?” Thyon grumbled. “There’s nothing useful on this side.”

“Hey check this out,” Ruza quietly beckoned behind him. An array of small books was spread out on the table. “I think it’s some kind of guide book. It gives a brief history, facts, and maps of each of the continents.”

Thyon sat down at the table next to Ruza who handed him the book. He flipped through it and Ruza moved on to look at other books. There was indeed information about all of the continents so Thyon took his notebook from his satchel and started reading.

Ruza continued to scan through the books on his side of the room. “This one’s called _The Academic Traveller_ and this other one is called _Places to Visit Before You Die_. How bizarre, I guess they read books about places they want to travel to? Isn’t that odd?” Ruza flipped through the pages frowning.

Thyon glanced up from his book and smiled, Ruza was cute when he was thinking. “It is strange, but there’s lots of useful information in this one. You should try reading a bit of the others and see what you can find.”

Tenderness and affection spread through Ruza’s chest like a warm blanket; he loved seeing Thyon in his element here amongst all this knowledge and he loved it even more that they were working together. He sat at the table with a stack of books and bumped his shoulder against Thyon’s before settling in to read. They both read and Thyon took notes for about 15 minutes when Ruza noticed that Thyon was flipping back and forth between several places in the book over and over again, with his brows furrowed and a concerned look on his face. “What did you find?” he asked.

“According to this book, at least three of the continents have large areas of land uninhabited by humans because sentient plants live there.”

“Sentient plants? Like plants that have brains?” Ruza’s voice betrayed his sudden excitement.

“I don’t know. It just says sentient plants. See – here.” Thyon pointed and Ruza saw the words just as Thyon told him. “It says that these areas are dangerous, and it gives warnings to not go near them.”

“Just three of the continents have them?”

“Maybe more, let me keep reading.” Thyon flipped forward to the sections of the book that covered other continents. Some minutes later he said, “No, all of them. Every single continent. The book doesn’t cover the one we’re on, maybe because people living here don’t need a special travel book, but I think we should assume that there are sentient plants somewhere here too. It doesn’t give any sort of useful information on them though.” Thyon went back to his reading and started furiously taking notes.

“I’m going to see if I can find any more books that mention these plants.” Ruza got up from the table to get more books. After a while Thyon joined him. They went through the books on the shelves as quick as they could, but it wasn’t fast enough. Their time was running out, and with half an hour left they still hadn’t found another book that mentioned the plants.

“On the plus side, several books have mentioned that ‘couples of every orientation’ are welcome on every continent except the one called Oudslig. I’m taking that to mean same gender couples,” Ruza explained.

Thyon ran his hand through his hair and squeezed his neck. “But what about these plants? What makes them dangerous? I feel like that’s important enough the book should have explained.”

Ruza had seen this look before on Thyon. He had it every time he was obsessed with something. So he knew that it was likely driving him mad that he couldn’t find anything more about the plants. “What if we ask that librarian if they have more books about the plants?”

Thyon’s face lit up in a smile and he cupped Ruza’s face with his hands. “Ruza, you’re the best,” he said and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

Ruza blushed and smiled softly and murmured, “Thanks.”

But he wasn’t sure Thyon had heard him because it was clear that he was now on a mission. He quickly packed up his satchel, grabbed the book that mentioned the sentient plants, and headed out the door of this little room. Ruza followed quickly behind him.

They approached the large desk in the foyer and the librarian from earlier walked over. “Hello, can I help?” she asked.

“Yes, we were reading this book and we’re interested in these sentient plants. Can you tell us if you have any other books about them?” Thyon opened the book and handed it to her pointing at the appropriate paragraph.

“I’ll have to check, please stay here.” She walked over to the other librarians and they seemed to be having an argument, several times they glanced furtively at Thyon.

“I don’t like this,” Ruza whispered into Thyon’s ear. “Something’s not right.

Several of the librarians walked off in different directions, leaving the one who speaks Engels behind. “Just one moment,” she said and smiled politely.

A couple minutes later guards started streaming into the foyer from every direction. They were surrounded. All of the guards had weapons strapped to their belts, some had clubs and some had swords, but none of the weapons were drawn, yet. Thyon could feel his hearts racing and sweat dripping down his back. Ruza reached out for Thyon’s hand and pulled him close. “Stay calm and don’t leave my side,” he hissed.

The guards silently ushered them towards the front doors of the library, with looks of malice and cruel intent. When they reached the doors they were thrown open by the chaperone. “Gentleman, I’m afraid you overstayed your welcome. Come outside at once.”

Thyon was terrified but also angry and worried about his friends, and he wasn’t sure if it was bravery or stupidity that caused him to speak, but probably it was a bit of both. “Why are you throwing us out of the library, the two hours aren’t up yet?” he demanded. “And what about our friends?” As soon as the words left his lips, the guards behind them gave them a shove, and they both nearly toppled down the stairs of the library entrance. Ruza’s quick reflexes kicked in and he prevented them from falling.

Their chaperone, who had seemed like a bored bureaucrat before was now red faced and angry. “You ask too many questions. Your friends are fine; they are being collected as we speak. As soon as they join us you will leave this place at once.”

Thyon and Ruza watched as their companions were escorted out of the library in small groups. Everyone was confused and concerned, but no one argued. In fact, everyone was being eerily quiet, even Calixte, and Thyon suspected that they were all wary of inciting violence. A large group of guards and their chaperone walked them back to the entrance of the university in silence; the distant melody of birdsong seemed utterly out of place here.

When they reached the entrance gates their chaperone turned to face them. “You are all hereby banned for life from the university. If we catch you within these walls again, the penalty will be harsh. I shall leave you with Mr. Stijns. Good day.”

The chaperone left them in stunned silence. The guards escorted them to their wagon where one of the assistant’s of the Triumvirate was waiting for them. Thyon noticed that Kiska immediately walked over to the wagon and closed her eyes as she leaned against it; he supposed she was trying to make sense of the situation from the minds of everyone around them.

Lazlo seemed to find his voice before the others. “Hello, are you Mr. Stijns? Do you speak Engels?”

“Yes and yes,” he responded. “I’m afraid you’ve caused a bit of a diplomatic scandal. We will escort you back to your ship. It would be wise to return to your skyship immediately and not come back down until tomorrow. The Triumvirate will meet you at 13:00 at the capital building to formally discuss this matter. All of you here today must attend. Now please get in the wagon because we must be going.”

“I’m sorry, but we don’t understand what we’ve done. Could you at least tell us that?” Lazlo asked.

“Two of your group stumbled upon some information regarding the fauna of our planet that is not for outsiders knowledge. That is all I can disclose,” Mr. Stijns replied tersely. His quick glance over to Thyon all but confirmed that the enigma of the sentient plants was at the center of this mystery.

Lazlo and several others frowned, but everyone got in the wagon as instructed. The whole afternoon was starting to feel like a strange dream to Thyon and the silence of his friends was not helping. Mr. Stijns insisted a guard drive the wagon and his carriage followed closely behind. While they headed back to Mikkel’s farm Ruza whispered with Tzara and Lazlo quietly told Minya and Sarai what was going on.

They were driven directly to _The Dragon_ , and Mr. Stijns again insisted that they leave immediately. He assured them that the wagon would be returned to Mikkel, so they boarded their ship and took off.

As soon as _The Dragon_ was in the air, Calixte squealed. “I cannot believe we all got kicked out of the library and then the university. Did you hear that? Diplomatic scandal. So fess up, who was it? Who’s the scandalous one among us?”

“It was me,” Thyon laughed nervously. “But all I did was read a book and then politely ask the librarian for more books on the same subject.”

“These people are hiding something and whatever it is I can guarantee its bad news for us. We should just leave this world and go to the next one.” Minya declared, her tolerance for other people had clearly reached its maximum for the day.

“We’re not leaving. We’ll call a meeting with everyone as soon as we’re back on the _Astral_ , we can hear all of the details then,” Lazlo interjected, knowing how much it annoyed Thyon to have to tell the same story more than once.

Minya glowered at Lazlo, and Thyon gave her a kind look knowing that she hated the democratic process of consensus more than anyone. He used to agree with her, but more and more he found that he didn’t mind the process so much.

“Well if we’re not going to find out what it is that got us banned until our meeting then we should put some money on the possibilities,” Calixte answered with a gleam in her eye. “Everyone start thinking of their guesses, I’ll collect the wagers in the map room before the meeting starts.”

Everyone started excitedly chatting to their seatmate, except Minya, when Thyon interrupted, “Hold up. Before anyone makes any guesses, I would like to wager that no one gets the answer correct. I’m saying it now before I hear any of the guesses.”

“How do we know that you won’t just lie to win?” Minya demanded.

“Because first of all, I wouldn’t lie about something as important as this. Second, Ruza and probably Kiska know the correct answer as well so they will be the arbiters.”

“Fine,” Minya agreed, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in her seat.

Calixte squealed delightedly again, it had been a while since anything mysterious had happened.

_________________________________

The map room was buzzing with excitement. Something had happened down on De Aarde that was so important that chores and dinner preparations had been postponed for this meeting. Adding to the mystery was that Calixte had informed them all to bring some coin if they wanted to participate in a wager, which of course, everyone did.

Calixte stood up in front of everyone and waited for quiet. “We went to a library at a university and Thyon and Ruza discovered something that got us banned for life from the entire university. Lazlo will tell you what happened and what we know so far. Then I’ll take wagers on what was discovered that got us banned. Then Thyon and Ruza can tell us what they learned. I expect Kiska also has some additional information to add, as do Tzara and me.”

So Lazlo told the story from his perspective, he was a good storyteller and he included enough detail that it almost felt like you were there with him. Once he finished the room erupted in the buzz of discussion again. After Thyon announced his wager, everyone else started placing their official guesses on the chalkboard. The guesses were creative and imaginative, but not even close. They were all focused on the word ‘fauna’ and so were limiting themselves to animals only. Werran even guessed that they had ride-able dragons trained for battle. Sparrow’s guess came close to the spirit of the matter with animal-human hybrids, and Thyon was surprised that with her knowledge of plants that she hadn’t made the leap to plant-animal hybrids which might have won her the pot.

When they had agreed that the pool was closed to any more guesses, Thyon and Ruza stood up to tell their story. “These are some great guesses, I particularly enjoy the one with dragons.” Ruza said to the surprise of no one. “It’s a shame that that’s not what we found out.”

They both stood there smiling for what seemed like an eternity to build the suspense. “Dragons would have been fun, but the real answer is much more mysterious, and raises more questions. And in fact, all guesses were wrong,” Thyon explained, a bit smugly. “The answer is sentient plants.” Sparrow’s mouth dropped open in shock and the room erupted in conversation again.

Thyon and Ruza told them everything they knew and what happened at the library. Then Kiska told them what she head learned from trying to scan the minds of the people at the university. They were definitely hiding something top-secret there, and it had to do with vines. The university is close to where the vines live, and they were dangerous, as most of the guards feared them. But there was something special about the black stone and the vines could not penetrate it, hence the wall surrounding the campus. She suspected that most people working at the university didn’t know or understand much about the vines since their thoughts were not very specific.

“It doesn’t make sense that no one knows much about them though,” Thyon rubbed the back of his neck, clearly flummoxed by what Kiska had said. “We know they’re dangerous, but we don’t know in what way. That ‘university’ is clearly a place where they study the sentient vines. So how come no one knows anything specific about them? Nothing adds up.”

“It’s possible that some people know, but they weren’t there today,” Kiska added. “I tried to scan as many minds as I could, but there were a lot of guards and its difficult when we spent most of the time walking around. We might get more information from the Triumvirate tomorrow, and if not, I could convince them to tell us what they know.”

“Wait,” Tzara interrupted. “If you went into their minds to convince them to tell us, would they know? Would they figure out that you used your magic on them like that?”

“They wouldn’t know that I was in their mind unless I wanted them to know.” Kiska responded.

Sarai had experienced, through dreams, what the people of Amezrou had felt when Isagol played with their emotions and knew that it was risky regardless. “They might not know that you were in their mind, but they would know that they had just divulged information that they would never tell us otherwise. And it wouldn’t take long for them to accuse us of manipulating them with your telepathy. I doubt it would endear them to our cause. They may refuse to help us if they perceive us to be a threat.”

“Then it’s settled,” Tzara announced. “We won’t make them divulge information using magic unless it’s absolutely necessary and unavoidable.”

Sparrow, who had been contemplating what it would mean for a plant to have a consciousness and how they might behave, spoke next. “If the plants are sentient, and this Mr. Stijns called them fauna meaning they consider them a kind of animal, then maybe the plants don’t _want_ people to know about them. Thyon you said that every continent has them, and where they live is completely uninhabited by humans. It sounds like the plants themselves are hostile to humans and don’t want to be discovered.”

“That makes a lot of sense,” Thyon agreed.

“If they’re so dangerous, why weren’t we warned about them?” Werran asked. “We could have stumbled upon them ourselves…”

“That’s definitely something to ask the Triumvirate tomorrow,” Lazlo wrote it on a chalkboard.

Calixte pranced to the front of the room with two small books in her hands. “We don’t have to worry about accidentally stumbling on them anymore. We have maps now.” She proudly handed the books to Thyon.

Thyon flipped through them and indeed one book was maps for the entire world and one book was maps of just Efteling, the continent they were currently stationed above. “Did you _steal_ these books from the library!?” he asked indignantly.

“I only took one, Tzara took the other,” Calixte smiled proudly. “We could always give them back. But since they are being so secretive and uncooperative, maybe I will keep them.”

Thyon supposed he should have expected this kind of behavior from Calixte, but not Tzara. He gave Tzara a disappointed look, but she just smiled and shrugged.

“We needed maps. They haven’t been particularly forthcoming here. So we found books of maps. Like Calixte says we can still give them back… Or not.”

“If there are maps of the city below in that book we should make copies so we don’t have to risk losing the book or getting it taken away.” Feral suggested. “I can get started on it tomorrow while you’re all meeting the Triumvirate.”

“Thanks Feral, we do need to make copies of all the important pages.” Thyon agreed. He opened both books and looked at the first few pages, frowning as he did. “Neither book has a decent contents page. We’ll need to first go through each one and list everything that’s in it. I can start with the world one right now.” Thyon held up the other book and smiled at Lazlo in invitation knowing that they were both in their element when it came to research and books. Although he had never admitted it aloud, he did think that Lazlo was more than just a competent librarian.

Lazlo, recognizing Thyon’s gesture for what it was, smiled back and accepted the book. “I’ll work on this one,” he announced.

Ruza was busy with Tzara, Kiska, Werran, and now Sparrow drawing up a list of questions to ask the Triumvirate tomorrow so Thyon turned back to Lazlo. “I’ve stashed paper and ink in the desk in the library. You are welcome to use it.”

“Thanks. Shall we go and get started?” Lazlo asked, with a slight edge of formality in his voice. It felt simultaneously like a monumental and small thing to sit together with Thyon in the library while they worked their way through the books, but Lazlo wasn’t the type to dwell when there was work to be done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm making some assumptions about the limits of Kiska's gift in order for this whole story to work. I've decided that she cannot rifle through peoples memories, and can only read/know what they are thinking in the moment.


	24. Misunderstanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thyon has a mystery to solve and a book to study and ignores the world around him - to the annoyance of his beau.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a smidgen of smut in this chapter - fair warning and all.

All through dinner Thyon was distracted; Ruza could tell he was thinking about something, likely the sentient plants. He practically had to drag his darling alchemist away from the library to have dinner and he’d barely said one word the entire meal. Now he was sitting at his desk in his room, poring over the maps and making notes and pointedly ignoring Ruza who was walking aimlessly between their rooms with a sad pout on his face.

Ruza knew that this work was important, but he couldn’t help but be annoyed that it was taking time away from _their time_. He made another dejected loop of his own room then headed back to Thyon’s. When he was standing right in front of Thyon’s desk he cleared his throat. “How much longer do you think it will take before you complete the contents page?”

Thyon finished writing his thought down in his notebook, then looked up from the book and furrowed his brows in confusion. “I finished that before dinner,” he replied.

“Then what are you doing now?” Ruza demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

Hearing the annoyance in Ruza’s voice only increased Thyon’s confusion. “I’m looking for any useful bits of information. What’s wrong?”

“Couldn’t you do that tomorrow? Is it urgent? I thought we were going to watch the sunset like we usually do.”

Ohhh. Thyon realized his mistake. He’d been so intrigued by these books and the mystery of the sentient plants that he’d been ignoring Ruza. He was such a blundering fool when it came to relationships. “Oh, well, I thought if I found something important we might be able to ask about it tomorrow at that meeting.”

“First of all, the meeting is in the afternoon so there’s plenty of time in the morning. Second, do you really think they’re going to answer any of our questions? They’ll likely try to get us to drop the issue altogether and tell us its none of our concern.”

“You make a compelling argument,” Thyon agreed. He put a bookmark in the book and set it aside. He wasn’t exactly sure how to make things ok again, but he figured he should at least apologize. He briefly wondered if he could just kiss the anger and annoyance right out of the angry warrior standing before him. “I apologize for misunderstanding. I didn’t realize that watching the sunset was a standing date.”

Ruza’s response was to shake his head, sigh, and look even more annoyed. “No, stop, don’t do that.” He belatedly remembered that they had agreed to figure out relationships together and his attitude wasn’t totally fair.

“I’m lost now. Don’t do what?”

“Get all formal and weird on me. Come here.” Ruza reached out his arms and beckoned. When Thyon was within arms distance he grabbed him and pulled him close so that their bodies were touching, hips to shoulders. He cupped Thyon’s face and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. “I probably should have said something instead of getting annoyed. I’d like it if we could try and set aside time everyday that’s just for us, but I’ll understand if you want to make exceptions for solving mysteries.”

“You know I love solving mysteries. But you were right, this can wait until tomorrow.” He kissed Ruza and it was as if their bodies melted together. It didn’t matter how many times it had happened before, when their bodies pressed together like puzzle pieces, and Thyon’s spirit soared and his soul purred in contentment, he couldn’t help but be amazed that this was his life now. Against all odds he had found someone to love and that someone loved him back. A strange sort of confidence filled him that although misunderstandings might occur between them, they would always work it out in the end.

They smiled at each other and Thyon realised it was true - he could kiss the anger right out of his sweetheart. “Shall we go watch the stars come out then?”

“Mmmm yes please. I noticed you didn’t bother with dessert after dinner so I brought us some slices of pie.”

“Ugh you are the best.”

Ruza’s smile lit up like the sun. “I know,” he quipped.

They ate their pie and snuggled under the blanket as the last light of the day faded and the stars twinkled brighter. Thyon told Ruza about his plan to gossip with him and Sparrow if the gala was boring and how he’d offered to be her dancing partner should she need one. Ruza confirmed that he hadn’t a clue how to dance and that he’d gladly let Sparrow take his place on the dance floor. They discussed the possibility of getting any information about the sentient plants out of Lenaert or the other delegates in the likely situation that the Triumvirate refused to answer their questions. Ruza mentioned that him and Tzara were going to start sparring with Kiska and Werran on the days that they weren’t training everyone else and the mention of training elicited a loud groan from Thyon.

“Do we have to train every other day?” he complained. 

“It’s only one hour, it’s not like it takes up your entire morning.” Ruza contended. And then more softly he asked, “Are you still sore from this morning?”

“Yes,” Thyon pouted. “I was promised a massage.”

“And you shall receive one,” Ruza stood up and held out his hand. “But first you need to get naked and get on the bed.”

Thyon took his hand and smirked. “Mmmm I can do that.”

The next hour was heady mix of soreness, relaxation, and arousal. Thyon had never had a massage before and Ruza was very, very good at giving them. He massaged Thyon’s back, then his arms, then his bum and legs. The oil Ruza was using smelled slightly medicinal, but not bad, and made Thyon’s skin tingle hot and cold - he could feel his muscles relaxing as Ruza continued to work his magic. When he told Thyon to roll over so that he could continue the front, Thyon was somehow both half asleep and completely hard.

Ruza purred at the sight of Thyon’s arousal, but he refrained from touching him there, just yet. Instead he continued the massage, working the front of his arms, shoulders, and chest. Before starting on his legs he kissed Thyon’s forehead and said, “I’ll be right back, don’t move.”

Thyon could hear Ruza rummaging in the bedside table a couple minutes later and he sleepily asked, “What were you doing?”

“I needed to wash that oil off my hands. It’s too powerful to use on the front of your legs in case it accidentally gets on your more sensitive parts. I’ll use a different oil.”

“Mmmkay.” Thyon sighed happily when the massage resumed.

After massaging his way down to Thyon’s ankles Ruza asked, “Feet?”

“No, thanks.” Thyon had thought that meant that the massage was over but instead he felt Ruza dribbling oil onto his hips. His touches were no longer relaxing, and were definitely in the more arousing category and Thyon couldn’t help but moan in pleasure. His body lit up in pleasure and he loved that his partner was such a conscientious and giving lover.

Ruza slid up the bed and captured Thyon’s lips in a luscious kiss while continuing to touch and tease his inner thighs. When he finally, finally grasped Thyon’s hard dick and stroked it, a chorus of debauched noises came pouring out of Thyon’s lips. “Gods you’re so fucking amazing,” Thyon managed to pant between gasps of pleasure. “That feels so good please don’t stop.”

“Mmmm I don’t intend to stop until you come for me.”

“Ohhhhh!” Their lips crashed back together and they kissed hungrily until Thyon’s orgasm rocked his body and he threw his head back and moaned. Ruza kissed him on the cheek and handed him a washcloth to clean up. Then they both laid back down while Thyon caught his breath.

Still tingling with pleasure, Thyon looked over at the beautiful man in bed with him and smiled a love drunk smile. “Come here,” he beckoned, opening his arms.

“What on top of you?”

“Yes on top me.”

Ruza complied and Thyon wrapped him into a tight embrace and kissed him. He traced patterns down Ruza’s back with his hands as they kissed, and when his hands made their way to his hips he pulled Ruza close eliciting a delightfully raunchy moan.

They took their time, and made love in the same way as yesterday morning. Thyon really did have a short refractory period and they reached their orgasms one after the other.

After they had washed up, brushed their teeth, and were lying in bed snuggling Ruza thought back on the events of the day. He snorted in laughter, and Thyon jolted away in surprise.

“Considering you just snorted into my neck you better be planning to share your thoughts.”

“I cannot believe that Zeru’s most acclaimed alchemist of this era, a highly regarded proper scholar, got banned for life from a library and caused a diplomatic scandal just by reading a few books. It’s absurd.”

Thyon leaned back into Ruza’s arms and laughed. He had certainly never thought that he’d be the first among their crew to cause an incident like that. “It is absurd. It’s also a bit ridiculous that they thought we’d never find out. I have a feeling that they had no intentions of ever telling us. But we have skyships and plan to visit other parts of the planet. It’s quite unlikely that we’d fail to notice.”

“I wonder if any of the plant species can move around,” Ruza pondered. He was picturing giant walking trees towering over buildings and decided that that would be the epitome of thakrar.

“What like ulola blooms?”

“No, I meant like if they use tree branches as legs or something, but I suppose moving with the help of wind seems more plausible.”

They spent some time taking guesses as to what sort of sentience the plants might have, and what kinds of plants they might be before both started to yawn and drift off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much later...
> 
> Thyon: I wonder if I can win any argument just by kissing Ruza...
> 
> Ruza: Why does Thyon keep debating me about the strangest topics and then kissing me. Is this some kind of turn-on?


	25. Ruza’s indomitable chattiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew of the Astral head back to the van Gogh estate for their gala outfit fitting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a teeny tiny bit of smut in the beginning of the chapter

Thyon awoke to Ruza’s alarm on the day of the tailor appointment at the van Gogh estate and for those first blissful few minutes he hadn’t remembered their appointment and instead he luxuriated in the bliss that was snuggling with Ruza. The past four days had gone by quickly, too quickly. As expected the Triumvirate had told them nothing more about the sentient plants and instead implored them to forget they had ever heard. They also refused to comment on why they were dangerous and whether it was safe to fly over them. Remembering Suheyla’s speech about diplomacy taking time, goodwill, compromise, and trust, the crew of the _Astral_ agreed that they wouldn’t press for more details from the Triumvirate, but they declined to forget what they knew. Of course, they realised they were free to move to other continents and try their luck with other people, but there was no need to point that out. Kiska had managed to discern that they were called ‘vines of love,’ they were indeed deadly, but they were also sacred which only added to the mystery.

Thyon, Lazlo, Feral, and Sarai had been taking it in turns to study and copy the two map books but all they had discovered so far was that the areas where the plants lived were deep within the continents. The coastal regions were all inhabited by humans. According to the maps, the university that they were banned from didn’t appear to be located near the sentient vines that inhabited Efteling, so they were starting to question the accuracy of some of them. Thyon and Lazlo had started compiling a list of questions that they had worded vaguely to see if they could get any information out of the diplomats at the gala. The list of questions would be circulated amongst all of them to increase their chances of getting answers. In the meantime, they had agreed to try and make friends with Floor and Lenaert to increase their chances of eliciting information, and besides they could use some allies in this world. 

“Morning darling,” Ruza’s too chipper morning voice interrupted Thyon’s sleepy thoughts.

“Mmmph,” Thyon kissed Ruza’s chest in response.

Ruza ran his fingers through Thyon’s silky hair, it was one of his favorite things to do and it seemed to sooth and calm both of them so he did it often. “So I was thinking…”

“Are you about to share another one of your amazing and perfect ideas?” Thyon teased, now more awake than he wished to be.

“Oh definitely. Do you remember the night of the last time we went to the van Gogh estate? When I first dominated you?”

“How could I forget? It was amazing.”

“Well I thought you might like to have something to look forward to. Something _better_ to think about in case that your brain starts to get tripped up in memory lane. We could plan for me to dominate you tonight if you’re interested?”

The noise Thyon made was somewhere between a groan and a moan. Desire pooled in his core. “Of course I’m interested you know I am.”

A delighted purring sound escaped Ruza’s lips and he knew they were going to end up having sex before breakfast. “Well then, if you’re a good boy we can play with one of the toys I bought at the market while I spank you and if you’re a naughty boy all you’ll get is a spanking.” Thyon had previously indicated that he’d be interested in being spanked and Ruza had hoped that tonight might be a good time to try it.

“ _Fuck_ Ruza, how am I supposed to get through the day now? I’m going to end up with an erection in public if I think about that.” In fact Thyon was already hard and he rutted into Ruza’s side shamelessly knowing that they still had a couple hours before they had to leave the _Astral_.

Delighted, and extremely turned on by Thyon’s answer, Ruza’s voice was rough and laced with desire. “I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to keep your dick under control. Especially if you want to show me how good you can be.” And with that their lips crashed together and their hands found each other’s dicks. Everything was hot, needy, passion, now, more, harder, faster and over quite quickly, though neither of them cared about that. They laid there, panting, sweating, boneless, and completely blissed out for many minutes.

When their senses returned they looked around at the mess they had made. “Looks like we’ll be changing the sheets again today,” Ruza commented.

“We do spend an inordinate amount of time washing sheets.” Thyon agreed as they got up and stripped the bed. After they finished making the bed with fresh sheets, Thyon paused and smiled brightly. “We should ask Lazlo to make your bath larger so we can both fit inside. Then I can join you.”

Ruza walked over to his gorgeous, smart, and very naked sweetheart and smirked. “Are you implying that we start having sex in the bath to avoid changing the sheets so often?”

Thyon draped his arms across Ruza’s shoulders and kissed the tip of his nose. “Yes.”

Ruza wrapped his arms around Thyon’s waist. “It’s a great idea but we’ll waste a lot of water. And you know Lazlo is always complaining about there not being enough mesarthium to make everything we want.”

“Hmmmm. I’m sure we can devise a solution to those challenges. Maybe we can have him install those waterfall showerheads like at the spa. Let’s think about things we don’t need that we can dismantle and use the mesarthium.” Thyon was currently thinking about how little time he spent in ‘his room’ and maybe it was time to move in with Ruza, but he didn’t want to rush him into anything.

“Or we could buy some pieces of wood furniture to replace the mesarthium furniture. Blue metal is not really my aesthetic anyway.” He traced idle patterns into the small of Thyon’s back and smiled softly. Considering that only two weeks ago Thyon had confessed he was uncomfortable showing anyone his scars, he didn’t think they would ever have this. This simple joy of spending time together naked and comfortable in their own skin, comfortable with each other.

“Is that why you’ve been acting strange and secretive lately? And why I saw you measuring furniture yesterday?”

“You’re so suspicious of everything. But yes that’s why I was measuring furniture. I wanted to check if the cargo doors of _The Dragon_ are large enough to fit furniture before we made any definite plans.” Ruza neglected to mention that his real plan included Thyon moving into his room. He had some ideas about how to design their shared space and he wanted them to be more fleshed out on paper before they spoke about it.

A look that Thyon couldn’t interpret flashed across Ruza’s face and he wondered if there was more that he wasn’t saying. Maybe Ruza also wanted him to move in? He felt like they were both dancing around their true feelings. “Well you already know I think you’re a better decorator and designer of bedrooms than me. So if you want new furniture, lets do it. You can have full creative control with our space.”

 _Our space_. Thyon had just said ‘our space’ hadn’t he? He was always very particular with his words, so it couldn’t have been a mistake. This was all going better than he hoped. “How about I sketch out some ideas and we can take a look at the options I come up with when I have a better idea of what I want?”

“Sounds good. I’m going to go wash up, I’m starving.”

“Me too.” Ruza pressed a chaste kiss to Thyon’s lips and they disentangled themselves, heading in opposite directions. While he washed Ruza wondered how much actual washing they would get done if they were to bathe together. He suspected that the answer was very little.

_________________________________

The same two carriages were waiting for them when they arrived on De Aarde, and the same servants greeted them at the van Gogh estate. They were then led in to the same large ballroom. It was all as expected and it was all mind-numbingly repetitive. Thyon tried to let himself be swept into Sparrow and Ruby’s excitement, but it wasn’t working.

Johanna, Floor, and Lenaert greeted them upon their arrival and this time it would seem that they were all speaking the common tongue. Johanna was dressed much the same as last time, in an elegant long-sleeved, floor-length dress. The complex damask pattern of her dress and accompanying jewels made it clear which echelon of society she belonged to. Floor and Lenaert however, were dressed slightly more casually than last time – if you considered embroidered velvet jackets casual. But both were wearing trousers and riding boots and Floor’s sandy blond hair was loose around her shoulders instead of done up in complicated braids like her mother’s. Thyon wondered if this was an attempt to distance themselves from their mother and seem more approachable and friendly to the outsiders.

The ballroom they were in was divided in two, each side a mirror image of decorative folding screens and a semi-circle of small tables and chairs. The women were ushered to the far left and the men to the far right. Once they were seated and served beverages Lenaert and a tailor stood in front of them.

Lenaert smiled and waited for them to quiet down; he did seem less formal this time but maybe that was just because he could actually communicate with them. “Hello gentlemen. The tailors have your tuxedos and shoes. They will call you up one by one and then you can change into your tuxedo behind the privacy screen. Once you have changed the tailors will check the fit and if it is suitable you can change back and take it home. If something doesn’t fit quite right, they will try to make the changes while we are all here. I’ll be here the entire afternoon so please do let me know if you need anything.”

Lenaert and the tailor walked to the table stacked high with long thin boxes speaking in their language and Lazlo translated what he said to those that couldn’t speak common tongue.

Thyon settled into his chair in feigned relaxation and steeled himself for the boring hours to come. He could tell that Ruza was about to say something to him, but it would have to wait - his name was called first. Ruza squeezed his knee and they shared a smile before Thyon followed the tailor behind the floral screen. The box with his tuxedo was set on a small table and the shoes on a chair, and he was instructed to change into the shirt, trousers, and shoes first before putting on the jacket. He did as instructed and was pleasantly surprised by how well it all fit. Even the shoes fit perfectly and felt comfortable immediately which was unexpected. He walked over to the tailor so that they could inspect the fit. Once they were satisfied he put his jacket on. The inside of the jacket was lined with satin in a deep yellow ochre color and contained a profligate amount of pockets. After the tailor again checked the fit Thyon walked out from behind the folding screen to show Ruza.

Lenaert was in Thyon’s seat talking to Ruza but the minute Thyon caught his eye Ruza stopped talking. He raked his eyes up and down Thyon and then looked back at him with so much heat that Thyon blushed. He was glad that no one was facing Ruza because that look, that particular look full of lust and desire, was just for him.

“You look amazing,” Ruza breathed, when he finally found his voice.

“Thanks,” Thyon replied, still blushing.

“Where’s your bow thingy?” Werran called out. “For your neck.”

So much for having a magical moment, Thyon thought. “I left it in the box since I don’t know how to tie it. Anyway I’ll go back and change I’m sure the tailors don’t want to be here all day.” When he was done changing the tailor came and retrieved his box and set it aside on an empty table. Glad to be done, he went to grab an empty chair and move it next to Lenaert and Ruza when the tailor called Ruza’s name, so he sat in his chair instead.

“Hey Thyon, how are you?” Lenaert asked.

“I’m well thank you. And you?” Thyon answered, then he took a large sip of the refreshingly cold beverage in front of him.

“Yeah I’m grand. Ruza was just asking me about local furniture makers. I gather you’re in the market for some new–”

“Dammit! Uggghhh. What a… Shit,” Ruza’s voice was hushed but they had all heard him clearly enough.

Immediately concerned, Thyon stood up and walked towards the folding screen. “Is everything ok Ruza?”

“Can you come here for a second?” he asked, clearly annoyed by something.

“Sure.” Thyon walked to the other side of the screen and found his warrior shirtless and staring into the box with a mixture of terror and anger and wringing his hands. Thyon peered into the box and saw that Ruza had managed to snap the threads holding the top button in its place. “How did you manage to break it already?” he whispered.

“I don’t know!” Ruza hissed. “Why are the buttons so tiny!? And fiddly? And impossible! Why have buttons at all!”

Thyon couldn’t completely suppress the smile that was daring to overtake his face and when Ruza reached back in for his shirt he swatted his hand away. “Keep your too powerful warrior hands away. Let me.” And he deftly unbuttoned the shirt before Ruza could complain. He held it out and Ruza slipped his arms in the sleeves, then Thyon buttoned it for him, his fingers lingering near the collar. “There,” he whispered. “You’ll have to tell them you broke the button though, so they can fix it.”

Ruza took Thyon’s hand into his own and kissed his fingers. “Thanks,” he murmured. He shimmied out of his trousers and turned to the box to get the new ones.

Thyon was about to ask Ruza if he needed help with the buttons on the trousers when Lazlo interrupted them. “We can hear you whispering in there. What did Ruza manage to break?”

“The top button of his shirt,” Thyon replied.

They could hear laughter from their friends on the other side of the screen. “Ruza does have chunky fingers,” Lazlo teased. “I guess it’s to be expected that he doesn’t have the dexterity for anything delicate.”

“I do _not_!” Ruza protested, loudly. He had managed his trousers just fine by himself, thank you very much. “My fingers are perfectly normal. It’s the buttons that are too small.” He walked over to the tailors so that they could check the fit. When they finished he sheepishly showed them the broken button and apologized in common tongue. He could hear Lazlo telling Lenaert what all the fuss was about because they had been speaking in Amezrou.

Thyon walked over with Ruza’s jacket in hand and helped him put it on. He smoothed his hands over the warrior’s broad shoulders and allowed himself a brief moment to drink up the sight of him. Then he leaned close and whispered in his most quiet voice since he didn’t want anyone else to hear, “You look delicious.”

The tiniest gasp escaped from Ruza’s lips and he turned ever so slightly towards Thyon with a hungry look. “Do behave yourself darling,” he whispered into Thyon’s ear, his hot breath sending shivers down Thyon’s spine. Then he promptly turned around and strode back over to where the tailors were waiting.

In order to stem the tide of hot, lascivious thoughts running through his mind, Thyon mentally went through the process of making alkahest. It worked. As soon as Ruza returned Thyon undid his shirt buttons with cold precision, kissed him on the cheek and left before either of them could say or do anything else untoward. Ruza stifled a laugh because he knew exactly why Thyon walked away.

Lazlo and Lenaert greeted Thyon upon his return to his seat. “I’ve been telling Lenaert about life on Zeru,” Lazlo explained.

“It sounds fascinating. Do either of you miss your home?” Lenaert asked.

“Sometimes a little bit.” Lazlo admitted wistfully.

“Not at all.” Thyon added. He was hoping that Lazlo would carry on the conversation because reminiscing about life on Zeru wasn’t exactly a pleasurable way to pass the time for him.

Ruza appeared next to Thyon with a chair in hand and sat down. “What are we discussing?” he asked, noting the tension radiating off of his partner.

“Life on Zeru,” Lenaert answered.

Ah, that would explain the pained look on Thyon’s face. “Has Lazlo told you about the Elmuthaleth or threaves?”

“I have not.” Lazlo laughed. “I’m not sure that anyone wants to know about threaves.”

Ruza draped his arm protectively around Thyon’s shoulders and leaned towards Lenaert casually. “Of course people want to know about threaves, they are super weird.” And with that Ruza launched into an epic tale about their crossing of the Elmuthaleth.

As Ruza told the tale, with Lazlo chipping in, Thyon felt himself relax a little and was glad once again for Ruza’s indomitable chattiness. Although he had been there for the journey it was interesting to hear the tale from their points of view. And he even cracked a smile when Ruza teased him about his ‘perfectly manicured beard’ and ‘supernatural good looks even after months in a desert.’ By the time they actually got to the part of the story with threaves, the men were almost done trying their tuxedos on and it hadn’t felt like much time had passed at all. Maybe he had been right, and this was the best way to get through frustrating or potentially upsetting situations – by having a good time with Ruza.

The story appeared to have the desired effect, Lenaert was laughing with them and looked happy and relaxed; it seemed entirely possible that they could form a friendship or ally with him. They finished their fitting before the ladies and Lenaert went to go check that lunch would be ready for them.

An air of restlessness on their side of the room could now be felt and both Rook and Werran got up to wander around, in opposite directions. Ruza and Lazlo were still reminiscing about Zeru and Feral was now asking them questions about the desert crossing. Thyon wondered how Sparrow was getting along so he squeezed Ruza’s thigh and whispered his intentions. Ruza gave him the softest, lightest, blink-and-you-miss-it peck to the cheek.

As soon as Thyon turned around he saw that Sparrow was already heading his way. They met in the middle and headed towards one of the large windows, away from everyone else. “How was your dress? Did it fit?” he asked.

“It’s lovely. It fit perfectly,” she smiled brightly. “In fact everyone’s fit perfectly. Or at least I think so. We didn’t get to see Minya’s because she refused to come out from behind the screen. But she did let Suheyla and Ruby see it. Did your suit fit?”

“Yes. They have superb tailors here. None of us can figure out how to do the bowtie we’re supposed to wear on our neck but Lenaert says he’s sure there will be staff at the gala that can help us. I wish we could get away with not wearing them.”

“Thyon, you rogue,” she laughed. “I have to admit the bow does look a bit much. How is it going with operation charm? Did you guys manage to make friends?”

There was enough background chatter that it was unlikely anyone would hear what they were saying, but Thyon lowered his voice anyway. “I think so. Lazlo and Ruza did most of the talking. They’re much better at it than the rest of us.”

“True. It was a bit stiff on our side of the room. Very… Formal. I’m not sure we made as much progress as you. Also, Johanna has asked if I can fix some trees of hers that are dying after lunch.”

“Oh? That’s ok right? Because now you get to see the garden.”

“Yeah. I just hope I can help.”

“I’m sure you will,” he assured her.

They were interrupted by Johanna announcing that lunch was ready and to head to the dining room in the common tongue.

“Maybe I should learn common tongue,” Sparrow mused as they walked.

“If you want. There are plenty of us to teach you. I could teach you some phrases to use at the ball.”

“I’m not sure I’m that quick of a learner but we could try,” she agreed as they followed their companions to the dining room.

This time they made it all the way through lunch without a single argument. It helped that Johanna didn’t try to set her children up with anyone. And it was certainly less awkward and quiet now that more than one of them had a language in common. Floor was particularly interested in the portals in the sky and the story of the Faerers so they told her as much as they knew. It wasn’t clear to anyone how godspawn children had ended up in this world when it didn’t appear that they had the technology for skyships.

Once they had had their fill of food and coffee, Floor and Lenaert took them outside for a tour of the gardens and to show Sparrow which trees to work her magic on. On their way out Lenaert handed Ruza a list of the best furniture makers in the city and where their shops were located. Glancing over the list, Ruza noticed that scrawled in the corner of the sheet, in very tiny writing was a message ‘We cannot talk freely here; my mother has spies everywhere. Floor & I are trying to arrange a private mtg.’ He quickly folded the paper back up and put it securely in his pocket before anyone could ask about it.

It was a pleasantly warm day and large puffy white clouds were shielding them from the midday sun. A swift breeze, which was a bit gusty at times, was carrying the scent of various flowers to them as they walked. Floor was explaining the history of a large pond, while Ruza and Thyon hung back to chat to Lenaert.

“Do you have any tips for getting information about finding our blue-skinned kin from the diplomats at the gala?” Thyon queried.

“Or any good gossip about the delegates?” Ruza interjected.

“Well, you’ll have an easier time of getting information from the younger generation, the heirs. Basically anyone that’s about our age. We don’t care so much for the rules as our parents. The diplomats will want to talk to you and get information out of you but they won’t tell you much in return. And you definitely won’t get anything out of the generals.”

“Generals?” Ruza frowned. “Is there to be a battle?”

“No, but you’ve all been classed a potential threat. Surely you can understand why – you’re magical beings who flew here through a portal in the sky on a massive skyship.”

Thyon nodded, wondering if he should mention that those of them without blue skin possessed no magical gifts. But he left it for now.

Lenaert continued, “Its standard practice for our countries to send a diplomat, at least one aristocrat, a general, and an array of other military personnel for security to these sorts of functions. Especially to an event with potentially unfriendly guests.” Lenaert sighed when he saw that Ruza’s frown hadn’t budged. “The King of Bordeaux is sending three of his sons, the Queen of Liana is sending two of her daughters, Hedera doesn’t have a monarchy but the Prime Minister, her husband, and their daughter will attend, and finally the heads of the four great Houses of Ifig have said they will attend but more than likely they’ll send their heirs instead. None of these dignitaries travels without a military escort. So don’t get all worked up about it.”

“Don’t mind him, that’s just his thinking face,” Thyon drawled. “So are those all of the countries of Efteling? Or are there some too far away that won’t be in attendance?” Thyon knew the answer to his question, they had maps after all. But Lenaert didn’t know that they had maps and might expect some level of curiosity from them.

“Yes that’s all of them. Ifig is quite far, it takes up the entire southern peninsula of the continent but their ships and shipbuilders are unmatched on De Aarde. They can sail here in less than a week in good weather, and the Triumvirate sent the invitations out the day that they met all of you.”

Five countries worth of aristocrats would be at the gala. Thyon thought back to Zosma and all of the petty squabbles and schemes he had witnessed over the years. “Do all of the ruling families get along? Or are their rivalries or feuds we should be aware of?”

“Oh all of the heirs get along. The Princes of Bordeaux have been hosting after-parties for diplomatic events for generations and it’s a poorly kept secret that they devolve into orgies after a couple hours.” Lenaert’s face remained neutral; a sure sign of his upbringing in the aristocracy. But Ruza gave Thyon a look he could not place. There was no time to ponder it though or he would miss the rest of what Lenaert was saying. “Of course there’s disputes between country leaders about trade or borders and sometimes even arguments about the laws governing the common folk and their right to move around, but the countries of Efteling have been at peace for hundreds of years.”

They had arrived at an area of the garden that Lenaert had not shown them last time. It looked like it used to be the edge of a forest but the trees were bare whisps of twigs, leafless and lifeless dead husks falling over. They looked too far gone for even Sparrow’s gift, but if even the tinniest glimmer of life remained there was still hope. Floor was explaining that the grove used to be full of cherry blossom trees but that most had started dying about five years ago and now there were almost none left. They weren’t native to Vlaanderen or even Efteling and so it was difficult to obtain more.

Lazlo translated what Floor said and Sparrow nodded before kneeling on the ground the thrusting her hands into the dirt. Lazlo took the opportunity to explain to Floor that Sparrow would do what she could but that there were a lot of trees here and it would take time.

In a matter of minutes, the tree burst into life. Bright green leaves and blossom buds burst forth, followed by full bloom. The white and pink flower petals fluttered in the breeze and a riot of color replaced the empty space that the near dead tree had occupied. Sparrow’s gift was incredible, and it was a delight to watch. Everything in the garden on the _Astral_ was so lush and healthy that it was easy to forget the power that she could wield. Both Floor and Lenaert gasped in surprise at the quick transformation. When Sparrow was finished with that tree she stood up and picked off what looked like some kind of beetle from the bark and Thyon realised there were hundreds of them. The trunk was overrun with them and he hadn’t seen where they came from or how they got there.

“The tree is infested with these beetles.” Sparrow explained. “They all came running out of it when I repaired the damage inside. I can bring the trees to health again, but they won’t last long unless someone does something about these pests. They will eventually kill every tree here.”

Lazlo explained to Lenaert and Floor what Sparrow had said and they peered down to look at the beetles. Floor produced a handkerchief from her pocket, put a couple beetles inside, and tied it off to seal them inside. She said she would go and get the grounds keepers and gardeners straight away to see what they could do and then set off towards the house.

Sparrow went back to work and Lenaert told them they were free to wander around while they waited. Most everyone dispersed.

After the third tree, Lenaert turned to Lazlo, Thyon, and Ruza and said “Myself and Delphine the daughter of the Honorable Jacques Magritte and Antonin the son of the Honorable Saskia Renoir are tasked with arranging the seating chart for the gala. I already have on my list to sit Thyon and Ruza together, but can you tell me who are the other couples so I can ensure they end up at the same tables?”

“Of course,” Lazlo answered. “Do you have pen and paper?”

Lenaert nodded and produced a small paper and a pencil.

Lazlo stared writing. “Ok so there’s me and Sarai, Calixte and Tzara, Ruby and Werran, and Kiska and Feral. Minya, she’s the tiny one, should be sat with Suheyla because she can be contrary and grumpy and Suheyla will be able to keep her from acting out. That leaves Sparrow and Rook who aren’t in a relationship. They could be sat together or with any of us except don’t sit Rook and Werran together because they aren’t currently speaking to each other.” Lazlo drew a large cross between their names in case Lenaert forgot.

Lenaert laughed. “It must be complicated with 14 of you living together on one ship.”

“It can be,” Lazlo agreed.

“So do Sparrow and Rook have preferences for dance partners? Because I can try and sit them with eligible men or women who they might hit it off with – there will be plenty in attendance.”

“Rook is definitely into men,” Ruza seethed. “We’ve heard he’s attracted to women as well but have never witnessed it.”

Lenaert’s eyebrows rose in silent question, but to his credit he did not ask why Ruza seemed to have such a dislike for his fellow crewmate, he correctly assumed it had to do with Thyon.

“I’ll go ask Sparrow if she has a preference. Last we spoke she was undecided.” Thyon said and headed towards her.

Ruza and Lazlo shared a look, that last bit about Sparrow was definitely news to Lazlo. Ruza had suspected since the day at the market.

When Thyon returned they all noticed how much farther Sparrow had gotten – she had revived at least 8 trees now, maybe more. “Sparrow has said her only preference is to be sat with someone kind. She doesn’t speak Engels but I’ll try and teach her some simple phrases before the gala.”

Lenaert smiled, “I know two very lovely and kind people to sit her with.”

Floor arrived with several people in tow; they were clad in dirty work clothes and one was pushing a wheeled bin full of gardening equipment. When they saw the revived trees their eyes went wide in awe and two of them walked over to inspect the nearest one as if they couldn’t quite believe what they were seeing and needed to touch the trees for confirmation. Floor was speaking to them in their language, and gesturing to the beetles. They nodded and fanned out to inspect the other trees.

Sparrow had made a sort of circle and was now working on a tree near where they were talking and she looked on the brink of exhaustion. Her head hung low and her shoulders sagged as if the effort to hold them up was too great and her skin was a paler blue than usual despite the fact that she was wearing her mesarthium pendant. Thyon crouched down next to her and put a reassuring hand on her back. “Why don’t you call it a day? We can always come back some other time. You don’t need to fix them all today.”

She leaned into Thyon and sighed. “You’re right. Let’s go home.” She brushed the dirt off her hands and took the hand that Thyon was offering to help her up.

Sparrow looked so unwell that Thyon felt a surge of protective affection, as one might feel towards a sister or close friend. The intensity of the feeling surprised him and he suddenly understood her fight with Calixte. “I’ll let Floor and Lenaert know that you’ll finish the rest later,” he said, then he put his arm around her and she leaned against him as they walked over to the others. Thyon caught Lazlo looking at them affectionately and his cheeks flamed, but he smiled at Lazlo, and the look they shared told Thyon that they were both happy with this new life they had created for themselves.

“Sparrow needs to rest now, she’s exhausted her magic,” Thyon told Floor and Lenaert. “We can come back another time to fix the others, maybe after the gala?”

“Of course,” Floor responded. “I’ll let mother know and in the meantime we’ll try and figure out how to get rid of the beetles. Please thank Sparrow for us, we really appreciate her help.”

Thyon smiled and translated to Sparrow what was said. Lazlo offered to bring the mesarthium unicorn to fly her back to the carriages but she refused. Instead she walked arm-in-arm with Thyon the whole way back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the Efteling is a real place, and its magical. Its a fantasy/folklore theme park (think Dark Crystal style fantasy) kinda like Disney but better in the Netherlands. I went with my officemates during my PhD and I highly recommend it. I just had to use the name as an homage. 
> 
> Also, all of the names of the countries, except Vlaanderen (Flanders) follow a theme... Hint, hint...


	26. A little sneaky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sparrow interrogates Ruza about why he's been acting so suspiciously lately

“Are you sure?” Ruza asked Sparrow again. “I don’t mind doing the prep work myself if you need more rest.” It was their turn to make dinner for everyone and although it would be a much larger task with just him and Suheyla, he had seen the way Sparrow had looked after healing all those trees for the van Gogh’s and he was worried about her.

“I’m fine, really,” Sparrow argued. “That half hour nap was plenty. Now scoot over and let me help chop the vegetables.” It was longer than a half hour nap if you counted that she’d slept the entire carriage ride from the estate to the _Dreamsmith_ and then again on the journey back to the _Astral_ , and then again for 30 minutes in her actual bed. She was still tired, but not too tired to make dinner and besides she needed this time alone with Ruza to interrogate him. He’d been acting awfully strange lately.

They both settled into a rhythm dicing and chopping vegetables and Sparrow knew that this was her chance since Suheyla usually joined them after the prep work was done. “So, I hear you’ve been sneaking around yours and Thyon’s rooms and acting like you’re hiding something every time he catches you measuring furniture.”

“I’ve not been sneaking or hiding,” Ruza countered, with a hint of annoyance in his voice. It wasn’t possible to do anything on this ship without someone noticing.

“Are you sure about that? You don’t sound confident.”

“Alright fine I have been a little sneaky. Did Thyon put you up to this?”

“No, but it clearly bothers him that you’re acting so suspiciously. Why _are_ you measuring furniture anyway?”

Ruza sighed, stopped chopping, and set his knife down. “We’ve slept in the same bed since that first night and Thyon has spent hardly any time at all in his own room. I want to ask him to move in with me, or combine our rooms permanently. But I thought it would be nice if the space we shared was different so it would feel more like both of ours and not just my room that he moved into. I want it to be _our_ space. I’ve been sketching out some ideas on paper of how we can redesign the rooms, and I wanted to make sure that my designs were accurate and to scale so that everything fit. That’s why I was measuring the furniture.”

“Ruza that’s such a sweet idea. Does Thyon know?”

“Not exactly all of it. He accused me of being suspicious and I told him that I wanted to change some of the furniture around and maybe swap it out for real furniture instead of blue metal. I’ve been too afraid to ask him if he wants to officially move in with me.”

Sparrow frowned and stopped chopping, “Why?”

“We’ve only been together 11 days. And I’m the one that asked him to sleep in my bed from now on and that was on day 2. I don’t want to push him into something he’s not ready for. I’ve not even told him I love him yet.” Ruza sighed heavily under the weight of his confession. The next words he spoke very quickly, as if he needed to get them all out before he lost the courage. “I mean he’s not said it either probably because he’s not ready for this to be serious or maybe because he doesn’t feel the same way.”

“What? Are you kidding me? Not feel the same way? Gods you’re both fools aren’t you.” Sparrow felt a sudden urge to shake the nonsense right out of Ruza’s silly head. “I can’t believe neither of you has said anything. He’s madly in love with you, surely you can see that?”

“Has he told you that?” Ruza scooped the chopped vegetables into various bowls.

“No, but he doesn’t have to, its obvious. I don’t think he’s ever been so happy in his entire life as he is now. He practically glows. You too. You’re not pushing if you just ask. I’m sure he’d tell you if he wasn’t ready, but I suspect that he is.”

A look of hope flashed across Ruza’s face. “I have noticed how happy he is lately. And we do _act_ like we’re in love; I don’t doubt that. Its just, I’ve never been in love before and I don’t want to mess it up.”

“And how could you possibly mess it up?” Suheyla asked from behind them. Her voice was kind, but it was also clear that she didn’t believe that what Ruza feared was possible.

“Ruza’s afraid it’s too soon to tell Thyon how he feels,” Sparrow explained.

“You two have been in love for months now, how is it too soon?” Suheyla asked.

“What if he’s not ready?” Ruza countered.

Suheyla could read Ruza like a book and his anxiety and fear was clear. When it came to new love, the unknown was a powerful obstacle to truth. “I don’t think you need to worry about that. I think the more pertinent question is, are you ready?”

“I… Don’t know.”

“Then I suppose you have your answer. There’s no rush, tell him when you’re ready.” She patted him on the back. “Are the potatoes ready to boil?”

Ruza and Sparrow nodded and Suheyla took them over to the water boiling on the stove.

Ruza turned back to Sparrow, “Please don’t tell him any of this. I promise that I will… Soon… Hopefully.”

“I won’t. But don’t take too long, you know he already suspects you’re hiding something from him.”

“I know.” And he would, but not just yet. For whatever reason, his mind kept telling him ‘after the gala.’ It was in two days time so it’s not like it was weeks away. By then his drawings for their redesigned bedrooms should be ready. He picked up the knife and got back to chopping.

_________________________________

They had been very lucky with the summer weather here; though storms had broken out several times, they were always in the early morning. The days and evenings were dry and calm allowing Thyon and Ruza to spend time on the balcony. But their luck had run out. Tonight it had started raining during dinner and it didn’t look like it was going to stop anytime soon. During dessert they had quietly discussed their options, knowing that they would want to ‘go to bed’ early. Suheyla had lit a fire in the fireplace in the gallery to chase the damp chill away so in the end they agreed to drag a sofa in front of the fire so they could sit with their wine after Ruza finished chores.

While Ruza and Sparrow washed the dinner dishes, Thyon sat in front of the fire and worked on the list of phrases he was going to teach Sparrow for the gala. Suheyla, Lazlo, and Sarai joined him, each pulling up their own chair so that they formed a semi-circle around the fire. Suheyla and Sarai were both knitting, with Suheyla helping Sarai every time she got stuck or made a mistake, and Lazlo was reading a book. It was a nice quiet and content evening, reminiscent of their early days on the _Astral_ before they had set off on their epic journey.

Thyon heard Ruza and Sparrow approaching from behind before they appeared; they were arguing loud enough that their voices could be heard all the way from the kitchen. Ruza was trying to convince Sparrow to go to bed early and Sparrow was insisting she wasn’t tired.

“Ruza, since when did you become Sparrow’s father?” Lazlo teased when they entered the gallery.

“I’m not parenting her. I’m just a concerned friend,” he proclaimed as he took a seat next to Thyon on the sofa.

“And I keep telling you I’m fine. Besides, Thyon is going to teach me some common tongue phrases for the gala,” she countered, squeezing in on the other side of Thyon on the sofa.

“It’s true,” Thyon agreed, brandishing his list.

Ruza scowled at them but it didn’t last long because Thyon laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek and _that_ never failed to bring a smile to his face.

Thyon turned to Sparrow and they started going through the phrases he had written down.

Meanwhile Ruza turned to Lazlo, he needed some crucial information before he could finish planning their new rooms. “Lazlo, does the weight of the _Astral_ affect your ability to fly it?”

“To an extent probably, but I haven’t felt an effect yet. We might not have reached a critical weight. Why?”

“I wanted to change some of our blue furniture for wood. Blue metal is just not my aesthetic.”

“I didn’t know you even had _an aesthetic_.” Lazlo teased. “You dress the same way almost every day how can that be an aesthetic?”

Ruza sighed in exasperation at his friend. “Sometimes I swear you’re such a mushroom; I’m talking about our bedroom and living space. I want to get new bed tables and dressers and stuff. So it looks cozy and goes with my tapestries.”

Other than the door between his and Thyon’s rooms, this was probably the most sensible request that Ruza had ever asked. Lazlo suspected that it wouldn’t be long before they were asking him to combine their rooms and it was nice to see Ruza and Thyon so happy in their relationship. “Yeah sure go for it. I don’t think a few pieces of bedroom furniture are going to make a drastic difference to the weight. Is this why you were asking Lenaert for advice on furniture makers?”

“Yes and he gave me a list of shops to visit.”

“Hey Ruza,” Sparrow interjected leaning around Thyon. “At some point can you help me redesign my room?”

“Absolutely, I’d love to.”

“Yay! Thanks.” Sparrow sat back in her seat. “Where were we?” she said to Thyon.

Ruza remembered the note Lenaert left him and he and Lazlo discussed it while Thyon and Sparrow finished going through the phrases. Ruza made a show of yawning and saying how tired he was so that when they finished he and Thyon left for the night.


	27. Confidence, and trust, and if he dared believe it, love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruza makes good on his promise to dominate Thyon again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've updated twice this weekend, so be sure to read chapter 26 as well. 
> 
> Another very NSFW chapter, again with BDSM elements

Back in their room Thyon waited until the door was closed before asking, “Are you really tired? Because we can go to sleep if you want to.”

Laughing, Ruza replied, “I must really be a good actor if even you were convinced.”

Thyon stalked towards Ruza and pinned him against the door, “I was just checking,” he whispered, capturing Ruza’s lips in a kiss. “You looked so fucking sexy in your tuxedo today. I had to walk away because I kept imagining you forcing me against a wall and having your way with me.”

“Naughty, naughty boy,” Ruza grabbed Thyon’s ass and pulled him closer, their lips crashing together in a needy kiss. “Naughty boys who have naughty thoughts need to be spanked.”

Thyon pouted. “I thought I was good? I was on my best behavior because I was told there would be a gift.”

Ruza looked pensive for a few seconds to drag out the suspense. “I suppose, since you were good all afternoon that we can play with a toy. Only if you want to though, we don’t have to.”

“Well I can’t very well decide without knowing what it is.” Thyon backed away from Ruza and smiled. “Why don’t you show me?”

“Ok,” Ruza walked over to his bed table and opened the top drawer. Thyon watched from where he was now sitting on the bed. He took out a glass bottle that had a colorless opaque looking liquid in it and what looked to be a decorative sculpture. It was a strange curvy conical shape and had what appeared to be a handle at the end. Thyon had the feeling that he was supposed to know what it was, but he hadn’t a clue.

“Did you buy that for me?” he managed to ask, his cheeks flaming.

“I did. And I’m guessing from the look on your face that you haven’t figured out what it is.”

“Nope, not a clue.”

Ruza sat on the bed next to Thyon and handed the object to him. It felt like it was made of the same material as the floating tubes at the spa and was simultaneously soft and hard. Ruza leaned over and kissed Thyon’s neck and whispered, “It’s called a buttplug. I thought maybe you might like to wear it when I spank you.”

Oh… A whine escaped Thyon’s lips and his desire and anxiety fought for dominance. “Have you… Used one before?”

Ruza nipped at his ear. “I’ve never seen one before the market stall here. I bought two of them because I was hoping you would be interested in experimenting with me. I also bought this bottle of lubricant, which the signs in the shop claimed was better than oil.” He didn’t mention that it was Tzara who had told him the translations of everything (which Calixte had told her).

“Yes,” Thyon breathed, “I am interested.”

“We’ll go slow, and you have to promise that you’ll tell me if you want to stop.”

“I promise. But… Don’t hold back. I want this – I _want you_.”

The reaction from Ruza was instantaneous. He kissed Thyon passionately and the desire that had been simmering within them seemed to boil over and break free. They were desperate for each other. Ruza tugged on Thyon’s hair and whispered, “Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Undress for me, take everything off,” Ruza commanded. Thyon did as he was told and Ruza took the opportunity to divest himself of his clothes as well. He stood on his side of the bed near the top, within reach of the bed table. “Come here.”

Thyon obeyed and Ruza turned him so he was facing the bed with Ruza standing behind. He kissed Thyon’s shoulders and let his hands roam freely down his back. He might be the one in charge, but that didn’t stop him from worshiping Thyon’s body, scars and all. He grabbed a hold of Thyon’s hips and pressed their bodies together, he wanted his partner to feel how hard he was. The gasp and moan he elicited was exactly what he wanted to hear.

“Spread your legs,” he commanded. “Good boy. Now bend over.” The sight of Thyon, bent over the bed with his ass in the air was intoxicating. Ruza thought about how much he wanted to fuck Thyon, just like this, but they weren’t there yet. Soon, he hoped.

“You look so good like this,” Ruza crooned. He felt Thyon shiver when he started caressing his hips and when his hands moved to his ass Thyon whined. “Naughty,” Ruza growled and then he spanked him. He caressed the spot he spanked, briefly, and then spanked him again.

Thyon had thought he knew the depths of his desire, but he was mistaken. He’d never been so aroused as he was right now. His whole body sang in pleasure and the blissful blankness washed over his mind. “Ohhhh fuck,” he moaned, grasping handfuls of the blanket in his hands. Ruza spanked him again and he arched his back in pleasure and babbled incoherent nonsense.

Ruza continued caressing Thyon’s ass, his cheeks were now bright pink and warm to the touch. “Look how naughty you are, you’re just begging for it aren’t you?” Thyon’s muffled whine of an answer only spurred him on. He spanked Thyon several times in succession, and then slid his fingers between his cheeks and caressed his hole.

“Oh… Ohhh,” Thyon gasped and Ruza had heard that exact ‘Oh’ before. It was the same sound he made the first time Ruza played with his nipples. It was a good ‘Oh’ so he grabbed the bottle of lubricant and poured some onto his fingers. He kissed the delightful spot where Thyon’s lower back met his ass and rubbed circles around his asshole. He teased him, not quite slipping a finger in, but just pressing down enough to elicit debauched moans of pleasure.

“Do you like that?” Ruza asked, his voice practically a growl.

“Yes!” Thyon panted. “Please…” He wanted Ruza’s fingers inside of him more than he had ever wanted anything before. He was consumed with need and pleasure.

“Please what darling?”

“Please I want to feel you inside of me,” Thyon whined.

Ruza spanked him with his other hand. “Naughty, naughty boy,” he crooned and slipped his finger inside. He could feel Thyon tense up, so he didn’t move his finger, but instead he pressed his body against Thyon’s and kissed his neck. “Relax darling, I’ve got you.” He pressed his dick against Thyon’s ass and waited until he felt him relax. When Thyon moaned and pushed his ass into Ruza’s hand, Ruza purred in delight and started working Thyon open with his finger. It didn’t take long until Thyon was practically fucking himself and Ruza added a second finger.

Thyon was a writhing mess of pleasure by the time that Ruza pushed the plug into his needy hole. The noises he was making were so dirty that Ruza was having a difficult time not touching himself. He leaned his body against Thyon’s and pulled his hair. “You’re so gorgeous when you’re like this.” He raked his hand down Thyon’s body and spanked him again. “I want to watch you suck my dick. Your mouth was made for it. And if you do a good job, I’ll reward you.”

Ruza pulled back and as soon as Thyon turned over their lips crashed together - their kiss communicating the burning desire they had for each other.

Thyon broke the kiss and whispered into Ruza’s ear, “Fuck my mouth and pull my hair. _Hard_. Use me for your pleasure.”

Not missing a beat, Ruza whispered back, “You sure?”

“ _Yes_. My mouth was made to suck your dick,” he nipped at Ruza’s ear for emphasis and it was Ruza’s turn to moan.

Ruza stood up, grabbed a pillow and tossed it on the floor. “Sit. With your back against the bed,” he commanded.

Thyon did as he was told and then gasped when he felt the plug move a little further in. It felt amazingly good. He thought about having Ruza’s dick inside of him instead of the plug and the thought sent a shiver of pleasure through him. He looked up and saw Ruza watching him intently with a look of pure heat on his face. “I can feel the plug deeper like this.”

“And you like it don’t you?” Ruza crooned.

“ _Fuck yes_ ,” he breathed. Ruza’s hard cock was in his face now and he licked the head several times before taking the whole thing into his mouth.

Ruza let Thyon set the pace for a while, watching him enjoy himself on his cock. Then he pulled Thyon’s hair, hard, and growled, “My turn.” He gently held Thyon’s face with both hands and started slowly thrusting his hips. After several thrusts Thyon looked up, grabbed his ass, and pulled his hips roughly towards him so he picked up the pace. He kept one hand resting gently against Thyon’s cheek, but moved his other hand up so that he was roughly holding his hair. He fucked Thyon’s face harder and his delightfully dirty lover squeezed his ass tighter. “So good,” Ruza moaned, “So, so good.”

Thyon loved seeing Ruza so lost in pleasure. He loved that he was the cause. He loved the dirty and utterly debauched things they did together. Everything was so hot and he wanted, needed more. He could tell that Ruza was close and he moaned in pleasure. Thyon’s moan tipped Ruza over the edge and he came hard into Thyon’s mouth, screaming in ecstasy. He caressed Thyon’s cheek and then flopped onto the bed, unable to stand any longer.

After Thyon had joined him on the bed, Ruza opened his eyes and looked him over, checking for any signs of hurt. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine. Better than fine. Why?”

“Just checking I didn’t hurt you.”

His jaw was a bit sore and he had felt a tiny bit suffocated near the end, but none of it had been too much and nothing was hurt. Thyon shifted closer and kissed Ruza’s temple. “Of course not.”

“Good,” Ruza sighed. He leaned forward as if he was going in for a cuddle but instead he licked Thyon’s nearest nipple. He bit it, then licked and sucked some more until he elicited the sounds of pleasure he wanted to hear. He brushed his fingers along Thyon’s ass, and along the base of the plug and asked, “Does this still feel good?”

“Yes,” Thyon breathed. Between the nipple play and now Ruza caressing his ass, Thyon’s dick was throbbing. He wanted to be spanked some more, but he also wanted Ruza to touch his achingly hard dick and he couldn’t decide which need was more important.

The decision was made for him when Ruza bit his nipple again and gave his dick several long, luxurious strokes. “Such a dirty boy, aren’t you?” When Thyon moaned and thrust his hips Ruza let go of his dick and smacked his thigh. “And so naughty. Bend over the bed again, I haven’t finished spanking you.”

He whined but did as he was told because that was part of the fun. He had to do as Ruza commanded. He briefly wondered what would happen if he disobeyed and filed that thought for later. He pressed his hips into the mattress and didn’t care if Ruza saw, he needed friction any way he could get it.

Ruza stood up and raked his hands down Thyon’s back and massaged his ass. As soon as Thyon moaned, he spanked him, hard.

“Fuuuck yes,” Thyon felt waves of pleasure from the skin that had been spanked to the plug in his ass and all the way through to his dick. It was euphoric. He moaned again and rutted against the bed.

Leaning forward, Ruza tugged on his hair and said, “The naughtier you are the more you’ll be spanked.” Then he caressed the spot he had spanked and did it again, harder. Every time Thyon moaned and thrust into the mattress Ruza spanked him. After the sixth time, Ruza knew that Thyon wasn’t going to last much longer and he wanted him to come in his mouth. “Turn over and sit on the bed,” he commanded while sinking to his knees.

The pleasure and the pain had taken Thyon some place far away, he was in such a state of bliss that it took him a minute to understand what Ruza wanted him to do. Eventually, he rolled over and spread his legs wide, and felt Ruza licking his dick. He had been on the edge of orgasm for so long that his dick responded nearly instantaneously to Ruza’s mouth. He didn’t scream or moan loudly like usual, he just sighed softly after he came and Ruza would have been a bit more concerned if not for the soft, happy look on his face.

It didn’t look like Thyon would be moving any time soon, so Ruza went to the bathing room and wet a washcloth with warm water. He caressed Thyon’s hip and nudged him, “Hey darling, turn over to your side and I’ll take the plug out. That’s it, pull your knees up a bit.” There was a bit of resistance, but he got it out and used the washcloth to gently clean Thyon a bit. He realized he must be in that blank place he mentioned because he was far too proud to have let Ruza care for him like this otherwise. He washed the plug with soap and water and left it to dry then filled a glass of water, and grabbed the tin of almond cookies he had stashed on the dresser before rejoining Thyon on the bed. He set the water and the tin on the bed table and snuggled up as close as he could while still being able to see all of his face. He rested his hand on Thyon’s hip to let him know he was there.

The all-encompassing blankness that Thyon was experiencing started to drift away like slow moving clouds. He became aware of sound, feeling, and eventually color when he slowly opened his eyes. He smiled softly at Ruza, who was giving him a concerned look.

“Hey,” Ruza whispered.

“Hey.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Sleepy and calm.”

“You went somewhere for a while.”

“Yeah everything was blank. Totally blank. It was a little weird.” Thyon frowned. “What happened to the plug? I can’t feel it?”

“I removed it. It’s been nearly half an hour since your orgasm. I wasn’t going to leave you like that.”

“Half an hour? It felt like minutes. I hardly remember anything after bending over the bed that second time.”

A wave of panic and nausea washed over Ruza. Thyon didn’t remember? Did that mean he had been unconscious? No, he had been making noises, responding to his touch. “You were moaning and seemed so into it... I didn’t realize… I should have noticed you had checked out sooner. I’m so sorry.”

Noticing the panic in his kind and caring lover’s eyes, Thyon brought his hand up and soothingly scratched the sides of his head. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I _was_ into it. Very much. I just didn’t expect the blankness to be so all encompassing. Now we know. And now I know that I don’t want complete blankness. I like being present, I like knowing and remembering what we do. So, we’ll just have to find a middle ground.”

“Are you sure you want to keep experimenting?”

“Yes, absolutely. Hey…” Thyon reached out and pulled Ruza into a tight embrace. “I trust you – completely.” He kissed the top of Ruza’s head. Now that his senses had returned he realised he was cold and hungry. He was about to suggest they get ready for bed when he noticed the tin. “What’s in the tin?”

“Almond cookies,” Ruza said into his chest.

“My darling, you are literally the best. I’m starving.” Thyon cupped Ruza’s chin and tilted his head up so that he could kiss him. Ruza was hesitant, and delicate, and Thyon disliked the feeling that he was upset. “Don’t be upset, please. I’m not. Let’s not let the unexpected tiny blip at the end tarnish all the fun we had. Because I really, really enjoyed everything we did and I want to do it all again.”

Ruza looked into Thyon’s gorgeous ocean blue eyes, expecting to see a hint of doubt, or even anxiety, or regret. But he saw only confidence, and trust, and if he dared believe it, love. So he acquiesced, because he could deny Thyon nothing when he looked at him like that. “Ok,” he said. And they shared a smile like the love-struck fools they were.

Thyon shivered and jumped off the bed to get his dressing gown. He wrapped himself up and even put some cozy socks on since his feet were freezing as well. He joined Ruza on his side of the bed and opened the tin of cookies. They were still fresh and the first bite was exquisite – the perfect combination of butter, sugar, almonds, and flour, and the flavor was more intense than he had remembered. “Mmmm,” he moaned. “Is it just me or do these taste better after sex?”

Ruza giggled, and it was a light, happy sound and all was well in Thyon’s world again. “I do believe that sex has enhanced their flavor. Who woulda thought?”

“Oh this could be a groundbreaking scientific discovery. Maybe we should start eating dessert after sex every night.”

After he finished his cookie, Ruza stared lustfully into Thyon’s eyes. “You’re insatiable.”

“I know,” Thyon smirked. “You love it.”

“I do,” Ruza sighed. It was an exaggerated over the top sigh of suffering that they both knew was a lie. Ruza cracked first and his laughter was contagious. Giggling, they finished the entire tin of cookies. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What happened to Thyon? Where did he 'go'? It turns out Thyon is particularly susceptible to subspace, which is a dissociative or euphoric state that some submissives can achieve. Not having the internet, or books to explain it to them, Thyon and Ruza have to figure out how to navigate this themselves. I hope that their love and trust and care for one another is apparent because I think it's important to show that during these scenes.


End file.
